As a human being, I subscribe wholeheartedly to Gandhi’s advice to “Be the change you wish to see in the world.” As a filmmaker, I take this wisdom a step further to “Make the film you wish to see in the theater.” In either case, these words are sometimes easier said than done. But in the best case, these words intersect to serve both purposes and make the world better through film.
I was always a storyteller. I spent many childhood days writing and performing stories, buying puzzle books and movie magazines, savoring Polish bread and giant eclaires, riding the elevator at Cherry & Webb, cheering the St. Patrick’s Day Parade, or vying for carnival prizes at the Feast of the Three Saints. All in the shadows of the Lawrence mills, where my ancestors worked when the city was the textile factory Mecca of the world. Where just sixty years before, these very streets rumbled from the marching boots of thousands of mill workers of every ethnicity, banding together and being led by women to create what would become the most famous labor rebellion in American history: the Bread & Roses Strike of 1912.
These rich childhood surroundings formed my backstory and fueled my imagination as I embarked upon the fields of writing and film/television production. But while I was off honing my craft and tapping into the influential power of film, something happened in mill towns like Lawrence all across America: factory jobs were exported, and Hope right along with them.
Lawrence suffered decline, crime and poverty. The grandchildren of Lawrence’s early immigrants fled the city while new families immigrated to it, rarely welcomed with open arms. Historic theaters and magnificent structures were razed one by one, with many of the mile-long brick mills abandoned and left standing only because it cost too much to knock them down. This “wrecking ball mentality” was a rude homecoming and disturbed me deeply. I felt helpless against it, until I realized -- these were the very tales I had been shaped to tell my entire life. My history and my storytelling joined forces then and there.
Visionaries, artists and architects have long seen the benefits, aesthetics, good business, and character in adaptive, creative re-use of old mill buildings. It is entirely possible, financially feasible, socially commendable, and environmentally sound to make history work with the present-day. Too many of America’s lessons and stories have been buried with the rubble.
Now Lawrence, like its sister cities whose mills were once empty, is experiencing a renaissance. Historic preservation groups are drawing the nation’s attention to similar mill towns, underlining the fact that whenever a smokestack goes, so goes our history. Long-neglected parks, canals, and alleyways are going green. Mills are getting second chances as live/work lofts, colleges, function halls, community spaces, restaurants, affordable housing, retail shops, art galleries and -- what goes around comes around -- manufacturing space.
As a writer and filmmaker, I am grateful to have such rich history and surroundings to shape my stories and give me the perspective to find the connections in the seemingly disconnected. I wanted to tell a story that merged the past and present, the ethnic clashes of yesteryear with the racial unrest of today, the history that’s happening all around us if we pay attention, and the fact that one can make a difference.
Millies is that story.
I am committed not only to using the powerful medium of film to showcase Lawrence onscreen, but also of strategic planning and cross-promoting area businesses to help the city and the region offscreen. There’s tourism in them there mills. The filmmaking Process is as critical for me as the film’s Content if I am to fulfill my dual role as a filmmaker AND a responsible human being. Millies will give back to this city before, during, and after filming. And when it is finished, Millies will represent the change I wish to see in the world: an active respect for history, an open mind to the present, and a little bit of help from above in the future.
Cheers,
Lorre Fritchy
Writer/Director
Millies
