Karla Murthy

Although a portrait of the troubled Rust Belt city of Youngstown, Ohio, “The Place That Makes Us” offers a gratifyingly hopeful look at efforts to restore a town ravaged by the prolonged economic distress caused by the closure of its iconic steel mills and related industries.

A daughter reflects on her father's life - weaving the story of his miraculous journey from the streets of India with the realities of life in America. Using recorded phone calls with her dad while he worked nights at a gas station along with home movies past and present, this deeply personal essay film is a meditation on family, the immigrant experience, and the dreams we carry with us.

The story of Jamie Diaz, a transgender artist incarcerated in Texas, and the enduring friendship that brought her art to the world beyond the prison walls.