American Made Movie - Full Feature Film
Documentary exploring the impact of American manufacturing on both ordinary citizens and the national economy. Through the stories of innovative entrepreneurs and businesses who are making things in the USA while successfully competing in the global economy, the film examines both the positive ripple effect that comes from domestic manufacturing jobs and the hurdles we'll need to overcome to start bringing them back while asking business owners and consumers alike one simple question: what is your part?
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After World War II, The American Industrial Machine turned from the making of the military goods that helped secure the promise of a free world to the making of consumer goods that promised a better life for the average American. In the 30 years that followed, we saw a growth of the American Middle class, which, in turn, caused the strengthening of the American Economy at home and abroad. Americans were now manufacturing and consuming goods at an unprecedented rate. 80% of the world’s automobiles were built in cities like Detroit. Appliances like refrigerators, ovens, washing machines, and microwaves made their way from factories to doorsteps. But, in the late 70s, as the rest of the world started to develop its manufacturing capabilities and American CEOs needed to find ways to increase their profit margins, the jobs that made up the backbone of the middle class started being outsourced.
The demand for American labor was decreasing, but the want for affordable consumer goods was increasing. This only served to encourage the outsourcing of American manufacturing jobs and exacerbate the plight facing the shrinking American middle class. Since 1979, the U.S. has lost 8 million manufacturing jobs. During this decline, several alternatives have been promised. But each boom and bust of a sector of the American economy has only left us more perplexed--and perhaps weaker--than the last. It’s clear that if we want our future in this new interconnected world to be a success, American manufacturing will have to play an integral role. But how?
American Made Movie, a feature-length documentary, chronicles the rise and fall of American manufacturing and its effects on both Americans and the American economy. In search of answers for how to stop the hemorrhaging of American jobs and how to rebuild our once thriving middle class, the film turns to experts; and it becomes clear that we Americans may not be able to rely upon the giant corporations, who are legally beholden to their shareholders to increase revenues and reduce costs.
It is only in turning to those who are weathering the storm without utilizing the methods of their competitors that we start to understand the solution. American Made Movie follows the stories of companies like New Balance, the last American athletic shoe manufacturer; Louisville Slugger, who still makes their iconic wooden bats in the United States; and Viking Ranges, a niche company that single-handedly brought its hometown out of despair. The film also tells the stories of resilient entrepreneurs like Mark Andol and Merrie Buchsbaum whose to need to create, to provide, and whose faith in America have set the standard for manufacturing in these uncertain times. Furthermore, what becomes evident is that in order for a rejuvenation of the ailing manufacturing sector to become a reality, American consumers are going to have to make decisions that aren’t based solely on their pocketbooks. The only thing that will create a demand for American manufacturing is a demand for goods manufactured in America.