Regional filmmakers Steven Bognar and Julia Reichert’s American Factory will be the first release from Barack and Michelle Obama’s Higher Ground Productions, as part of a multi-year content deal with streaming giant Netflix.
American Factory, a documentary, hones in on the Chinese-run company Fuyao Glass America in Moraine, Ohio. Fuyao opened inside what was once a General Motors plant, whose closure was the focus of Bognar and Reichert’s Oscar-nominated short, The Last Truck: Closing of a GM Plant. When the GM plant shuttered in 2008, nearly 3,000 were left jobless. Fuyao came with a promise of new jobs — over 1,500 of them, according to The New York Times.
But, as the doc’s logline reads: “Early days of hope and optimism give way to setbacks as high-tech China clashes with working-class America.”
In February, Bognar and Reichert — both Yellow Springs, Ohio residents — received Sundance’s directing award for U.S. documentary.
Our CityBeat film critic tt stern-enzi made this remark upon viewing the documentary at the True/False Film Festival: “With epic intimacy, the movie walks among American workers eager for a second chance at gainful employment and the enrichment that comes from sustained livelihood as Chinese workers seek to maintain their own cultural traditions and work ethics while meaningfully engaging with their American compatriots in (and outside) the workplace. At the same time, it captures the familiar situation of the new Chinese owner, a self-made patriarch with a huge ego but an innate ability to make canny choices capable of endearing himself to his employees.”
Netflix has not set a release date yet. Aside from American Factory, other projects include an array of unscripted and scripted series, including docuseries Fifth Risk; feature-length doc Crip Camp; scripted anthology series Overlooked; Listen to Your Vegetables and Eat Your Parents, a half-hour preschool program; and drama series Bloom.
“We created Higher Ground to harness the power of storytelling. That’s why we couldn’t be more excited about these projects,” Barack Obama said in a release. “Touching on issues of race and class, democracy and civil rights, and much more, we believe each of these productions won’t just entertain, but will educate, connect, and inspire us all.”
The Obamas first announced their deal with Netflix last summer. And though some right-wingers called for boycotts, Netflix appears to be doing just fine, adding a record number of 9.6 million subscribers in the first stretch of 2019. (The real worry could come later in the year, when Disney and Apple both plan to unveil their own streaming services.)
Higher Productions’ initial lineup will roll-out over the next few years and, true to their word, offers up content that touches on a diverse mix of issues. Bloom, for example, explores the challenges women and people of color in the fashion industry faced in New York post-World War II. And Crip Camp tells the story of how a summer camp for disabled teens helped set the disability rights movement in motion in the 1970s.
“We love this slate because it spans so many different interests and experiences, yet it’s all woven together with stories that are relevant to our daily lives,” Michelle Obama said in the release. “We think there’s something here for everyone — moms and dads, curious kids, and anyone simply looking for an engaging, uplifting watch at the end of a busy day. We can’t wait to see these projects come to life — and the conversations they’ll generate.”
This article appears in May 1-8, 2019.
