Directed by award-winning filmmaker Carl Kriss, the new film tells the story of Cleveland-Cliffs workers who are defying the odds to rebuild America’s steel industry.
There’s no doubt that America’s steel communities have faced significant challenges over the past several decades, with unchecked globalization and the rampant dumping of steel imports leading to plant closures and mass layoffs. But now there’s a new generation of American steelworkers who are rising to the challenge of rebuilding and strengthening American-made steel — and they are doing it right in the Industrial Heartland.
That’s the premise of the new documentary film, “Relighting the Flame,” which follows a group of workers at several Cleveland-Cliffs facilities in the Midwest to showcase the resiliency of America’s steel industry. You can watch a preview of the film here:
“Relighting the Flame” is directed by award-winning filmmaker Carl Kriss. You may remember Kriss from his 2019 film “Bring It Home,” which told the story of five families facing uncertainty as General Motors prepared to close its factory in Lordstown, Ohio. In “Relighting the Flame,” Kriss is again following families from Ohio (and nearby Indiana), but this time around things are much more optimistic, as these workers are able to showcase how important their factory job is to their family — and what the work they do means for their community and the country as a whole.
The movie will be released online on Tuesday, Feb. 27, but we’re hosting a special premiere screening of the film at the Capitol Theatre in Cleveland on Monday, Feb. 26. Special guests expected to be on hand include Kriss; United Steelworkers International President Dave McCall; and Cleveland-Cliffs’ Chairman, President & Chief Executive Officer Lourenco Goncalves.
A limited number of free tickets are available to the public as well! Click here for more details and to RSVP.