By Staff
Staff Reports
Franklin County Times
Florence will host the premiere of a film in October that documents one of the accomplishments that shaped this area forever.
Built for the People – the story of the Tennessee Valley and the Tennessee Valley Authority – is a story that began when President Franklin D. Roosevelt created TVA, mobilizing an entire nation into action to lift the South out of the grips of the Great Depression.
It's a story that shows how the people of the Tennessee Valley, living in a land ravaged by flood, found their salvation in water and ushered in the Atomic Age.
It's a story so momentous President Roosevelt called it "one of the great social and economic achievements of the United States," and, 75 years later, Academy Award nominated directors Sean and Andrea Nix Fine are bringing that story to the big screen for everyone to see.
"This film is a story told through the eyes and experience of the people who helped make FDR's vision for the Valley a reality," said Sean Fine.
"It's a story about the fortitude of the human will, made more powerful because we have this amazing backdrop – the Tennessee Valley – to weave in and out of the story."
According to Bob Steffy, Executive Director of Bicentennial Volunteers Incorporated, the film's producer in concert with Documentary Channel, this is a must-see movie for anyone who lives in the Tennessee Valley.
"We're excited about premiering Built for the People to the residents of Florence. The film is a tribute to the people of this community – and many thousands more across the Valley – who dedicated their lives to working with TVA to change the course of history," Steffy said.
And, because that change did not come easily, BVI, which also financed the production, hopes this film will inspire, inform, engage and educate new generations about the sacrifices made to turn around the valley's fortunes.
"In order to tell this story to a new generation," continues Steffy, "we've partnered with Documentary Channel to help us premiere the film at the Regency Square Cinema 12 on Wednesday, October 8, with showings at 4:45 p.m. and 7 p.m. (seats for the public screening will be available on a first-come basis). It's also being televised on Documentary Channel this fall, but we wanted to give everyone a chance to see it on the big screen for free before then."