Fagersta Is Staying Alive, a documentary about history, resilience, and the future!
When successful collaborations open the door to new projects!
Last year, we made eight films for Ekomuseum Bergslagen. From the initial ideas and scripts to filming and editing, the whole process was a fantastic collaboration. It not only resulted in a great result, but also reminded us just how much we enjoy working on cultural heritage projects.
We’re fascinated by history, but just as interested in how the past continues to shape the present and the future. That’s what makes projects like this so special for us.
And sometimes, a great collaboration naturally leads to something new. After all, it’s a small world – especially when people are enthusiastic about sharing their experiences.
From Ekomuseum Bergslagen to Fagersta
So we were delighted when Fagersta Bruksmuseet got in touch and invited us to submit a proposal for a new film production. They had heard about Kola Productions through our collaboration with Ekomuseum Bergslagen-and the result of the eight films we made together.
Our proposal was accepted and a new adventure began: Fagersta Is Staying Alive.
The documentary focuses on Fagersta’s resilience. How has the community weathered crises in the oil and steel industries? And how does it envision its future?
Fagersta is still an industrial city, with a rich history and a strong focus what lies ahead. Its high-tech industries play an important role and are among the world’s leaders. The city’s industrial heritage is still very much alive-an essential part of its DNA.
It’s precisely this combination of the past, resilience, and future that runs through the film.
Filming in a place where history can be felt
We had hoped to film part of the documentary at Stålverket 1, a disused steelwork, and planned to set up an interview studio there.
By October, however, it was clear that this wouldn’t be possible. With holes in the roof and windows, the building was simply too cold for our guests to sit comfortably through an hour-long conversation.
Fortunately, the location offered another, unexpected possibility.
We projected archival black-and-white footage of the steelworks onto the concrete walls and filmed it on location. The images convey the gruelling nature of the work once carried out there. Paired with the raw industrial surroundings, they make the past feel suddenly tangible- and allowed us to share a glimpse of this remarkable place in the documentary.
For the interviews, we found another location: a former factory where hard metal was once produced. Here, too, history seems to breathe through every corner. It was a fitting setting for a film about how Fagersta’s industrial past continues to shape the present, while the city looks firmly to the future.
Nine stories of change and resilience
For the documentary, we interviewed nine people with a wide range of backgrounds and perspectives-from someone who has spent his entire career in the steel industry and still works in the sector, to representatives from business, politics and academia.
Among them were Lisa Vestlund, HR Manager at Marcegaglia Fagersta Stainless; municipal councillor Åsa Märta Sjöström; and Acko Ankarberg Johansson, Governor of Västmanland County.
Each interviewee brings a distinct perspective on industrial development and the changes Fagersta has experienced over the years.
Professor Mats Isaksson adds a research-based perspective, placing the structural changes in industry in the context of the 1970s oil crisis and its long-term consequences.
Together, these conversations tell a story that goes beyond steel. It is a story about people, adaptability, and how an industrial town can reinvent itself without losing its identity.
From filming to editing
Alongside the interviews, we also explored Fagersta with our cameras last spring. This allows us to capture not only personal stories, but also footage that brings the city, its industrial heritage, and its development to life.
Now a new phase begins: editing the documentary.
We’re working closely with the people behind the project. Together with Niklas Ulfvebrand, the driving force behind the script, Tobias Back, Head of Business Development for Fagersta Municipality, and Veronica Andersen, Business Development Officer for the municipality, we’re bringing the different stories and images together.
Our collaboration with all three has been fantastic. It’s a pleasure to work with people who know their community inside out and are keen to help us find the right way to tell Fagersta’s story.
We’re looking forward to the editing process-and, above all, to the finished film: a documentary that shows where Fagersta comes from, how the town has developed, and why there’s every reason to look ahead.
A sneak peek behind the scenes
For now, here’s a glimpse behind-the-scenes of Fagersta Is Staying Alive.
To be continued!
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