FILMS

Youngstown, Ohio—once a booming pillar of American industry—became the fastest shrinking city in the United States when the bottom fell out of the steel industry in the 1950s. Today, 37% of those left in the city live beneath the poverty line. Filmed over 6 years, Greyland follows two young people, each determined to revitalize Youngstown. Rocco Sait, an urban archaeologist, hunts through hundreds of abandoned houses for vintage finds eventually sold at Greyland, his art gallery and thrift store. Meanwhile, Amber Beale is a single mother and the president of the Neighborhood Association, leading the fight against city hall for their inaction in cleaning up her neighborhood.

Through poetically apocalyptic imagery, Greyland follows Rocco and Amber’s search for meaning and hope amid economic decline and a political landscape out of synch with the needs of its community. Should Rocco and Amber continue to fight for their city or flee like thousands before them? Without change, can the community of Youngstown continue to satisfy anyone? What can grow back in a land burnt to the ground?

Join us on Monday, August 15, 7:30pm, at the Harris Theater for this special one-night screening of Greyland. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Director Alexandra Sicotte-Lévesque and crew, plus a musical performance by film subject, Rocco Sait.

Thank you to our co-presenter, Pittsburgh Cultural Trust, and our two community partners, Video Consortium Pittsburgh and The Doc Salon! 

Watch the trailer: