Idora film shows a city success

A short film about the slow but steady transformation of Youngstown’s Idora neighborhood will get its premiere at 7 p.m. Oct. 1 at the Youngstown Playhouse.

“The Idora Neighborhood” was made by Khaled Tabbara, Chris Rutushin and Michael Moritz, who are all well-known for their other entertainment endeavors. Tabarra is the frontman for local rock band The Zou and is also an actor; Rutushin is a filmmaker best known for “Fine-Tune” (2008), which was made in Youngstown; and Moritz owns Kontinuous Jams recording studio, is a frequent music director for area stage productions and has his own line of player pianos.

The 35-minute documentary has the feel of an economic-development tool, which it is, but it’s also interesting to locals because it spotlights a rare success story. It was the idea of William D’Avignon of the Youngstown planning department, with funding from the Raymond John Wean Foundation.

“Idora” starts with a quick overview of Youngstown history, because it’s at least partially intended for the urbanologists who love to scrutinize Youngstown. It then zooms in on the unique neighborhood on the South Side.

Idora, which snuggles into the bends of Mill Creek Park west of Glenwood Avenue, has a lot of large and distinct homes on its tree-lined, meandering streets. It’s a vestige of the city’s heyday, and was once the home of many professionals.

It fell into hard times in recent decades but is being touted as a model of change because of a grass-roots comeback effort there.

The driving force is Jim “Big Jim” London, founder and president of the Idora Neighborhood Association, which has battled crime, taken on nuisance businesses, gotten abandoned houses razed, spruced up public spaces, worked to attract a supermarket, started a community garden and, most importantly, restored a sense of neighborhood.

Moritz said it took 18 months from start to finish to make the film, which features music from The Zou. In their interviews, the filmmakers focused on Idora residents instead of politicians and bureaucrats, said Rutushin. The result is a more realistic street-level presentation.

The neighborhood association’s London stressed that the story is ongoing and not over. “This is a story of hope for neighborhoods anywhere,” he said.

Admission to the Oct. 1 screening at the Playhouse will be free, and DVDs of the film will be sold in the future. London also hopes to have the film aired on public television.

The premiere also will include a question-and-answer session with the people in the movie and a block party in the parking lot.

FUNNY FARM WILL RETURN TO WHERE IT ALL BEGAN

Dave Robich is bringing The Funny Farm back to its original location, in the Metroplex Hotel in Liberty. Robich operated the comedy club inside the Belmont Avenue hotel for close to two decades before he was forced to move in 2007 when the hotel changed hands. In recent years, he had been booking shows at the new Funny Farm in the Radisson Hotel in West Middlesex, Pa.

The move back to the Metroplex takes effect this weekend, but the grand opening will be Oct. 15-16 with touring headliner Sean Morey. Show times will be 9 p.m. Fridays and 8 p.m. and 9:45 p.m. Saturdays. Call 330-759 HAHA (4242) for information.