There will be a bonus pre-recorded discussion immediately following the film with Art Cullen (subject), directors Beth Levison and Jerry Risius, and George Brennan from the MV Times. Plus an intro from Peter Oberfest, Pusblisher/Owner of the MV Times.
Pulitzer Prize–winning journalist Art Cullen and his family fight to unite and inform their Iowan farming community through their biweekly newspaper, The Storm Lake Times—come hell or pandemic.
Dark clouds hang over the cornfields of Storm Lake, Iowa, which has seen its fair share of change in the 40 years since Big Agriculture came to town. Farmers blow their life savings on new equipment they hope will keep their livelihoods intact. Migrant workers flock here—welcome and not—for their slice of the American Dream. The people of Storm Lake confront a changing and precarious existence. Enter: Art Cullen and his family members who deliver local news and editorials on a shoestring budget for their 3,000 readers. This paper means a fighting chance for their beloved hometown, and by hook or by crook, they’ll make the most of it. There’s simply too much at stake.
Peter Oberfest was born and lived in New York City, left for college, returned for graduate school and then returned to Philadelphia, met and married Barbara and began a 40-year career in healthcare strategic planning. Peter has had no education or prior experience in newspapers but loved them since childhood. Peter’s parents were born in Eastern Europe and arrived here speaking no English and newspapers, along with high-quality public education, were our ladder. On any given day the family had between 4 and 7 papers at home. Newspapers, from editorials and opinion columns to sports and local news, were their motherlode of cultural literacy. After moving to the Island year round in 1993 Barbara and Peter stumbled on the chance to acquire part ownership of the Times in 1995, and then all in 2014. One might say it shows the triumph of optimism over experience, but for Peter publishing a newspaper is about the best thing one could do (except for marrying a really patient woman).
George Brennan is the editor of The Martha’s Vineyard Times. Prior to arriving on the Island five years ago, he curated the Talking Points newsletter for the Boston Globe. Born in Boston, he grew up in America’s Hometown, Plymouth, where he edited his first community newspaper at the age of 25. In between stints as a community newspaper editor in Plymouth and on MV, George spent 15 years at the Cape Cod Times where he participated in more than a dozen investigative reporting projects. He lives in Falmouth and commutes to the Island daily keeping a watchful eye on the Steamship Authority. He’s married to Corinne and has two college-age children, JoJo and Tommy.
“We see what might be the last burst of glory for a Pulitzer Prize-winning small town Iowa newspaper as it doggedly carries on, fighting the good fight” – Movie Nation
“A vital celebration of the role of community-based news gathering at a time when media revenues are way down and the credibility of the press has taken a hammering across much of the country.” – Hollywood Reporter
