Kristian Milas

*Click on the thumbnail above to warch Unmelted: Diaspora Culture in America on YouTube

“Unmelted” is the documentary I produced for my final Capstone Project at Keystone College. The film focuses on the Croatian diaspora in Steelton, Pennsylvania—a small community that held on to its identity against all odds.

*Images courtesy of Kolo Club Marian- Steelton, PA

Croatians have been emigrating from their homeland for centuries. First, poor families searched for work in foreign nations—like the United States—especially during and after the industrial revolution. Later, Croatian immigrants were also expelled from present-day Croatia as political or wartime refugees, especially when fleeing communist oppression under Yugoslavian occupation or escaping a war-torn land in the 1990s.

Domestic Croatians continue to seek work in countries like Germany, Australia, and the United States to this day. Because of these waves of emigration over the past couple centuries, Croatians in diaspora are many.

When producing Unmelted, I didn’t only need to figure out the best way to tackle such a sizable project alone, I also needed to teach myself new skills in video production. I hadn’t ever created a video project close to as big as my Capstone project, but I’m glad I withstood all my own challenges to create it.

I needed to work with limited time, equipment, and resources during my production. Through all of my setbacks, I’m happy with my final documentary.