Inside the High-Stakes Quest to Make ‘American Factory’ a Documentary Hit

Julia Reichert’s film wants to change hearts and minds—and won an Oscar in the process

Photos: Ali Lapetina

Julia Reichert hugged the 16mm print of her first film, Growing Up Female, to her side as she crossed the country by Greyhound bus in 1971. Each tour stop began in a living room, where a handful of…