Fordtown

On October 7th, 2016, the last engine rolled off the Ford Geelong assembly line, thus ending the 91-year-long manufacturing history between the Ford Motor Company and the city. The identity of Geelong has been linked to the local Ford Factory since it began operation in 1925. The advent of Ford Australia allowed the city to enjoy the same type of wealth and prosperity as other motor cities across the globe like Detroit, Nagoya, and Birmingham. The city became so synonymous with the company that it would colloquially become known as Fordtown. Kaitlyn Church’s Fordtown is an expanded documentary project that explores the closure of the Ford Motor Company's manufacturing facilities and its impact on Geelong. Cities will inevitably move forward from 'blue-collar' industries such as manufacturing and transition into a post-industrial society, focusing on the production of knowledge rather than the production of goods. This transition comes with many benefits for the environment and local working conditions. Fordtown questions the human cost of this progress and documents the impact of Ford’s demise on the Geelong community through the stories of individual workers.