Years ago, Medora, Indiana was a booming rural community with prosperous farms, an automotive parts factory, a brick plant, and a thriving middle class. The factories have since closed, crippling Medora's economy and its pride. The population has slowly dwindled to around 500 people. Drug use is common, the school faces consolidation, and as one resident put it, “This town's on the ropes.”
Medora follows the down-but-not-out Medora Hornets varsity basketball team over the course of the 2011 season. It’s an in-depth, deeply personal look at small-town life, a thrilling, underdog basketball story, and an inspiring tale of a community refusing to give up hope despite the brutal odds stacked against them. On a grander scale, it’s a film about America, and the thousands of small towns across the country facing the same fight.
Directors Andrew Cohn and Davy Rothbart won a News and Documentary Emmy for Medora. Davy will introduce the film and take questions afterwards.
“Andrew Cohn and Davy Rothbart, the directors of Medora, have made the best sports film I’ve seen since Hoop Dreams.” — Leon Gast, Academy Award-winning director of When We Were Kings
Screening of Medora, with director Davy Rothbart
College of Liberal Arts