‘Steel Homes’, by Odd Girl Out Productions and Quark Films, takes us inside the world of a self storage warehouse, uncovering the hidden treasures and secrets behind the locked doors. Moving from steel cage to steel cage, the viewer encounters tales of heartbreak, loneliness and despair, and stories of liberation, adventure and leaving the past behind.
“I can still remember the first time I visited a self storage warehouse,” said the director, Eva Weber. “I was there to help a friend move her belongings but became absolutely fascinated by the eerie atmosphere of the space itself. You can almost hear the echoes of other people’s lives reverberating down the long corridors.”
Many people see storage warehouses solely as places where we can temporarily store our belongings, when we move house, run out of space at home or go off travelling. Yet, when one works out the weekly rental against the cost of an old bed, a couple of chairs, some paintings and piles of old books, it becomes quickly apparent that the things we store are of emotional rather than financial value. The silent cells with their discarded objects and dust- covered furniture are inscribed with past dreams, secret hopes, and lives we cannot let go off.
“The objects we store can literally tell the story of our lives – each ornament, photo or old gramophone record takes us on a journey through our past, present and into our future,” said Eva Weber. “Storage warehouses are these big, impersonal places but I am still amazed by the intimate stories you can find inside each of these units.”
Made for the Scottish Documentary Institute, ‘Steel Homes’ received its premiere at IDFA (International Documentary Festival Amsterdam), one of the biggest documentary film festivals in the world, in November 2008. Following on from the success of ‘Steel Homes’, the director is currently developing a longer film about self storage auctions in Los Angeles which she is intending to film later this year.
At Sundance, ‘Steel Homes’ is screening as part of the Documentary Spotlight: Fri. Jan 16 8:30 am at the Library Center Theatre; Sat. Jan 17 9:00 am at the Egyptian Theatre; Mon. Jan 19 11:30 am at the Holiday Village Cinema III; Wed. Jan 21 6:00 pm at the Egyptian Theatre; Sat. Jan 24 12:45 pm at the Broadway Centre Cinemas V (Salt Lake City) and Sat. Jan 24 11:30 pm at the Holiday Village Cinema III.
