Tony Buba, a film maker from Braddock, Pennsylvania, tells the story of his hometown's decline (along with the rest of the steel mill towns along the Monongahela River) while he dreams of making higher budget films. The picture documents, in a lighthearted way, the community anxiety and activism that accompanied the failure of the steel industry around Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
Direction
Buba blurs documentary and performance art beautifully.
Editing
Jagged cuts between fantasy and boarded-up reality.
Production
Micro-budget becomes aesthetic statement.

Director
Tony Buba
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Part of the 1980s 'Rust Belt documentary boom' alongside 'Roger & Me,' though Buba stayed fiercely local.
Buba's fictional 'Zombie movie' posters throughout are real abandoned projects—every failure is autobiography.
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