Mahoning Valley Ohio

Subject For more than 40 years, the state of Ohio has suffered a long demographic, social and economic decline, following the collapse of American industry in the early 1980s. If megacities like Cleveland or Detroit have been talked about a lot for their abandoned buildings, what about those medium and small cities that we never talk about? It is by going to the heart of the Mahoning Valley, which was one of the most important industrial regions of the United States, that our documentary will make an "inventory of the situation", in 2023, on the situation in which 3 particularly representative former industrial towns: Warren, Youngstown and Campbell. This observation will be made on the basis of meetings, interviews with the population still living - or surviving - in these cities, as well as in contact with members of the associative and political milieu. Our documentary will not only bring back a visual testimony on this “forgotten America”, but also the prospects which are offered to these cities: to hide their scars and be reborn, or to sink more each day into a state of abandonment. Synopsis Time unit: shooting from September 18 to 30, 2023 Unit of location: Warren, Youngstown and Campbell (Mahoning Valley, Ohio, USA) Duration: 52mn or 2x 26mn For 12 days, we will meet inhabitants to collect the story of their lives, their links with their city, but also their hopes and fears. We already have contacts in each city, to support us throughout the filming. We will also meet members from associations, who fight for the preservation of these cities, as well as politicians who will explain to us the prospects envisaged for the renewal of this region, or the difficulties encountered. These collected stories will serve as voice-over narration throughout the documentary. Based on this sound narration, we will film people and places in relation to illustrate the point, and show the daily reality of these cities. We want to make a documentary close to its subject, anchored in reality, without any artifice either in the images or in the narration. Authors Jean-François Debos, director, videographer and photographer, founder of 919Prod. Jean-François Hénane, artistic director and photographer. With the on-site participation of: AnnMarie B. Simon, photographer living and working in Ohio, who will be our fixer. Matt Martin, Executive Director, Trumbull Neighborhood Partnership. Timothy Sokoloff, curator, Iron Soup Historical Preservation Company.