Storm Lake

Name: Storm Lake
Director: Jerry Risius,Beth Levison
Released: 2021

Jerry Risius Beth Levison 2021

Dark clouds hang over the cornfields of Storm Lake, Iowa, which has changed a lot in the 40 years since Big Agriculture arrived. Migrant workers flock here, welcome and not, for their slice of the American Dream. The people of Storm Lake confront a changing community as global forces threaten their precarious existence. Enter: 63-year-old Pulitzer-prize winner Art Cullen and his family-run newspaper, The Storm Lake Times. Day-in and day-out, the Cullens deliver local news and biting editorials on a shoestring budget for their 3,000 readers. Come hell or pandemic, they’ll fight to preserve this town they call home. There’s simply too much at stake.

Add to Playlist

Add Bookmark

Bookmark List

Play Trailer

Running Time:

85 min.

Spoken Languages:

English

Subtitles:

English

Directors:

Jerry Risius Beth Levison

Producers:

Beth Levison

Cinematographers:

Jerry Risius

Editors:

Rachel Shuman

Production Companies:

Whole Hog Films

Investigative Journalism

Politics

Press

The Hollywood Reporter

"Editor Art Cullen and his family-run newspaper The Storm Lake Times make fascinating subject matter for a portrait of American resilience and unity through fractious times."

David Rooney
The Seattle Times

"...it’s a compelling bookend to such big-city newspaper movies, pulling back the curtain on thousands of smaller papers that play a critical role in binding and informing most of the country."

Brier Dudley

Festival Participation

Full Frame - 2021
Provincetown International Film Festival - 2021
AFI DOCS - 2021
DOC Edge - 2021
Woods Hole Film Festival - 2021
Middlebury New Filmmakers Festival - 2021
Duluth Superior - 2021

Additional Materials

Distribution Company

Back to Film Summary

This Week’s Featured Films

An investigative journalist uncovers the money, influence, and alarming rationale behind covert efforts to control the most vital resource on the planet in the latest exposé from filmmaker Gabriela Cowperthwaite (Blackfish)
The road to eliminating poverty begins with her
Israel's military service is questioned through the experiences of young Israelis struggling with enlistment pressures. Innocence uncovers the personal cost of conforming, with lost lives and haunting diaries illustrating the impact of military duty on young souls.
Fresh from their Nobel Prize win, mRNA pioneers race against time to develop new cures for cancer, HIV, and other deadly diseases, in this gripping documentary.
How did we come to this moment, where free speech issues have never felt more complicated and urgent, and where the nation is wondering a new: what price are we willing to pay for free speech?
Let us tell you a story about the boundary pushers who shape souls and give children strange dreams. The stars of STORY & PICTURES BY are picture book creators changing the narrative for the next generation, even when their own lives are not fairytales.
After speaking out on his torture, Bahraini footballer Hakeem al-Araibi faces arrest on his honeymoon, igniting a campaign to save him from extradition. The story follows his rescue led by Australian activists, pitting justice against political and royal pressures.
A political thriller that that goes inside the U.S. fundamentalist Evangelicals, revealing their power and influence on U.S. foreign policy, as they aim to fulfill the Armageddon prophecy and ultimately destroy our civilization
A one-hour documentary that delves into the science of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and the birth of a new movement to treat and prevent toxic stress