Film Description:
Produced by the Ames Regional Economic Alliance and directed by Eric Smidt, Urban Mining highlights how Midwestern innovation is tackling a global challenge by transforming discarded electronics into a domestic source of rare earth elements. By recovering critical materials from electronic waste, the film highlights efforts to strengthen America’s supply chain for strategically important technologies, energy systems, and national defense.
When most people think about the supply chains behind advanced technology, clean energy, or national defense, they imagine global networks stretching across oceans. Rarely does the conversation start in the American Midwest. Yet as I began exploring the issue of critical materials and rare earth elements, I realized that an important part of this story is unfolding right here in Iowa. What drew me to Urban Mining was the connection between local innovation in our region and a challenge that carries real national significance.
As a filmmaker, I’m always interested in stories that begin close to home but reveal a much larger lens. This film explores how recovering valuable materials from discarded electronics could help build a more resilient domestic supply chain for the United States. It also highlights how Iowa and the broader Midwest can play a meaningful role in that effort.
Directed and Produced by Eric Smidt
Starring:
Written and Edited by Eric Smidt
Executive Producer: Dan Culhane
Aerial footage by Rich McCay-Read, Gray Beard Drones
Archival footage provided by Ames National Laboratory
Music by Epidemic Sound
Organizational Support
