Saving Superman Short Film (2024): Documentary shorts by Sam Mirpoorian & Adam Oppenheim. Exploring heroism beyond comics. Watch now.
🦸♂️ Saving Superman (2024) — Documentary Short Film by Sam Mirpoorian & Adam Oppenheim
What does it mean to save a hero when the hero is a building? Saving Superman Short Film is a documentary short that follows the fight to preserve the historic City Methodist Church in Gary, Indiana — a once‑majestic cathedral nicknamed “Superman” for its imposing presence. Directors Sam Mirpoorian and Adam Oppenheim use the crumbling landmark as a lens to explore community identity, urban decline, and the power of memory.
🧭 Overview
- Genre: Documentary · History · Community 🎭
- Directors: Sam Mirpoorian & Adam Oppenheim 🎬
- Runtime: ~11 minutes ⏱️
- Country: United States 🇺🇸
- Language: English
- Release: 2024 (festival circuit, regional screenings)
- Style: Archival · Observational · Human‑centered
Watch the shorts:
📖 Story in Brief
- The Landmark: City Methodist Church, once a thriving spiritual and cultural hub, now stands abandoned and decaying.
- The Nickname: Locals call it “Superman” — a symbol of strength, grandeur, and resilience.
- The Struggle: Preservationists, artists, and residents rally to save the building from demolition.
- The Conflict: Funding, bureaucracy, and neglect threaten its survival.
- The Resolution: The film captures both the urgency and the hope of saving a piece of history before it disappears.
🎨 Creative DNA & Style
- Archival footage: Old photographs and news clippings show the church in its prime.
- On‑site cinematography: Sweeping drone shots and intimate close‑ups reveal both majesty and ruin.
- Community voices: Interviews with locals, historians, and activists ground the story in lived experience.
- Tone: Poetic yet urgent — balancing nostalgia with a call to action.
🌟 Themes & Resonance
- Memory & identity: Buildings hold stories; losing them means losing part of ourselves.
- Urban decline: Gary’s struggles mirror broader issues of industrial collapse in America.
- Preservation vs. progress: The tension between saving history and making way for the future.
- Community resilience: Ordinary people become heroes when they fight for heritage.
✅ Pros & ❌ Cons
Pros
- 🎯 Emotional storytelling: Connects architecture to human lives.
- 🎨 Visual contrast: Beauty and decay captured side by side.
- 🏆 Festival appeal: Resonates with audiences interested in history and social justice.
Cons
- ⏳ Focused scope: Centers on one building, which may feel narrow to some viewers.
- 🌀 Bittersweet tone: The film doesn’t shy away from loss, which can feel heavy.
💡 Humanized Takeaway
Saving Superman Short Film is about more than bricks and stained glass — it’s about memory, dignity, and the fight to keep history alive. Mirpoorian and Oppenheim remind us that when we save a building, we save the stories inside it, the people who walked through it, and the community that still calls it home.
🔍 Find More & Watch
- FilmFreeway listing — synopsis and festival details
- IMDb page for Saving Superman — credits and release info