Documentary film to feature Portsmouth murals
PORTSMOUTH — “Beyond These Walls,” a documentary produced by John Lorentz, assistant provost for International Education at Shawnee State University, and his son, Nathan, who was the director, editor and cinematographer, will be premiering on WOSU-TV at 8 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 16.
They also produced the film “River Voices: Portrait of an American River Community” that will be shown on WOSU-TV, Sunday, Feb. 23 in the same time slot at 8:00 p.m.
A photo of the documentary filming is on the cover of the February issue of WOSU Airfare magazine. “Beyond These Walls” documents the development of the Portsmouth Floodwall Murals and the role the murals play in Scioto County and the surrounding community.
Before the murals were painted, the floodwalls were just huge concrete “monstrosities” as one resident called them.
In 1992, Dr. Louis Chaboudy and his wife, Eva, formed a non-profit organization called Portsmouth Murals Inc. Their goal was to use a 2,200-foot section of the massive concrete walls and use them as a canvass showing the history of the area.
They found artist Robert Dafford who transformed the walls into works of art — preserving history, increasing tourism, economic development and community pride.
“Beyond These Walls” tells the story about the project and how it has affected the community.