If you think about it, how we tell stories reflects how we assign meaning—we review the past, we shine a spotlight onto issues we think are shrouded in darkness, we celebrate and we entertain. When faced with tragedy, as humans, we search for meaning. So in the 1980s, when our region's residents were confronted with the collapse of the steel industry as they knew it, the storytellers emerged—including two filmmakers whose works reflect that reverence, activism, and engagement.

Our feature today is an interview with filmmaker, organizer, and former U.S. Steel employee, Steffi Domike. The course of her career and the legacy of her work has many stories to tell; her artwork and activism have brought attention to feminist, environmentalist, and labor themes.

Perhaps the most acclaimed Steeltown filmmaker is Braddock's own Tony Buba. We're excited to share that Rivers of Steel will be screening several of his short films during the Filmed in Pittsburgh-themed opening nights of the Carrie Carpool Cinema. Join us for this special weekend on April 16 & 17; feature films include Fences and The Dark Knight Rises.

And if you have your own steel stories to tell, Rivers of Steel is an active repository for oral histories. Reach out to archives@riversofsteel.com.