Experiencing Interruptions?

The Comeback Mill

In Maine, where paper mills have long been central to communities, an architect and chemist embark on a multimillion-dollar project to repurpose a closed paper mill in Madison, transforming it into a wood fiber insulation manufacturing facility over four years. This innovative initiative not only revitalizes the mill but also introduces a pioneering venture in North America for sustainable building materials.

  • Josh Gerritsen
    Director
    Island Zero, Magnificent Beast
  • Josh Gerritsen
    Producer
    Island Zero, Magnificent Beast
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Genres:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    23 minutes 3 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    April 10, 2024
  • Production Budget:
    2,000 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital 4K
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • Digital Cinema Package:
    Unavailable
Director Biography - Josh Gerritsen

Josh Gerritsen is a filmmaker based in Rockport, Maine. He has directed two feature films: Island Zero, a horror film that takes place on a remote island in Maine, and Magnificent Beast, a documentary about the relationship between humans and pigs.

He grew up in Maine and made short films throughout his childhood, editing on VHS recorders in middle school. Like most young people, he couldn’t wait to move away from home. After four years at Skidmore College, he moved to New York City to work as a photographer. His plan was to live in NYC for decades, but reading “An Omnivore’s Dilemma” by Michael Pollan changed his trajectory. He came to his senses and moved back to Maine.

He ran a small farm and raised heritage cows, sheep, pigs, and chickens for four years. He came to his senses again and realized that farming is not his calling, it’s filmmaking.

He has a passion for sustainability, passive house design, and renewal energy. Other passions include rowing on the ocean with his sliding seat rowboat.

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Director Statement

I have been fascinated with big infrastructure for as long as I can remember. Massive facilities that produce the goods we use, generate the electricity that power our homes, or handle our solid waste, to cite three examples, are the backbone of our modern way of life. But they are hidden from view and unappreciated by most people.

When I read about the shuttered Madison paper mill being sold to a startup to manufacture wood fiber insulation, I knew it was a story that needed to be told. Paper mills have been a crucial part of Maine’s economy for over a century, but have struggled to adapt in the 21st century as our society has moved away from using paper. The closing of these mills is devastating for the people and towns that have relied on them for generations.

I hope that my film inspires other communities across America to re-use infrastructure that might be slated for demolition. These towns and cities could have the perfect location for the next great American comeback story.