Debuting on April 13, 2021, on HBO, is the documentary created by Academy Award-nominated film producers — Steven Ascher and Jeanne Jordan– that features Bend, Oregon, as a small town that had to reinvent itself after the logging industry went belly up.

Bill Smith and Trish Smith, who have been touted as leading the rebirth of Bend with the development of the Old Mill District, were interviewed for the film. What was once a dilapidated old sawmill with a section of the river filled with logging debris, was intentionally transformed into a beautiful and vibrant place to enjoy the Deschutes River in the heart of Bend.

Based on the book Our Towns: A 100,000-Mile Journey into the Heart of America, the film looks at different towns across America that have managed to overcome economic and civic hurdles, and end up thriving.

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Photo courtesy of HBO