subject
urban studies

the healing gardens of new york the unforeseen bowery dish


This dynamic film explores the lives of six New York City women who assume the category of "aggressive" through masculine roles, behavior, and dress. It offers a unique appreciation of a little known subculture within society's gender tapestry.



This documentary examines two migrant experiences, one from the Caribbean and one from Latin America, which comprise an important part of the Hispanic experience in New York.



The collateral impact of America's secret war in Laos during Vietnam is reflected in the extraordinary story of one family's struggle for survival - in Laos and later in the U.S. Filmed over the course of 23 years, The Betrayal is the directorial debut of renowned cinematographer Ellen Kuras.



Beyond Babyland seeks to understand the causes behind the troubling rate of infant mortality in African-American communities while introducing us to the people and organizations working tirelessly to turn around this tide.



This film explores the global issue of gentrification by observing how trendy restaurants and bars have spearheaded the transformation of America’s most notorious skid row, the Bowery, in New York City.



This video on the subculture of graffiti features interviews with numerous graffiti 'artists,' follows them on "bombing" expeditions, attends a national graffiti art conference, and records encounters between graffiti writers and adults angry about defacement of private and public property.



Can a single building impact the career of an architect, the image of a global company and the future of a major city? Building the Gherkin chronicles the design, planning and construction of the controversial Swiss Re building, dubbed 'the erotic gherkin' by the British press.



In ‘City of Dreams’ Architect, Naigzy Gebremedhin takes the audience on a tour of his beloved city, Asmara, in Eritrea, showcasing the stunning rationalist architecture left by Italian colonizers from the 1930s, and the lifestyle of Asmarinos living in and around these buildings.



Hoboken, New Jersey--"Naples on the Hudson" to some, a square mile of prime real estate to others. Filmmaker Nora Jacobson spent eight years documenting Hoboken's battles over gentrification, from boom in the '80s to bust in the '90s.



This video examines the world of New York City's hot-dog vendors, revealing their lifestyles, hopes and dreams, and the current political struggle in which New York's Mayor Rudy Giuliani is attempting to restrict their access to the city's streets.



Examines the hectic lifestyles of "fast track" couples, members of the Baby Boom generation whose desire to succeed--at the office, in social circles and through their children's accomplishments--leads to living in a state of chronic stress.



When the Loyola basketball team started four African-American players in 1963 they were suddenly thrust into the national spotlight. The Game of Change reaches far beyond sports, demonstrating this particular event's significance in the battle for race equality in a largely segregated country.



For generations, Cairo has relied on the Zabelleen or "garbage people" to collect the city's trash - resulting in the world's most efficient recycling program. A multiple award-winning documentary, Garbage Dreams considers the environmental and social repercussions when the city suddenly decides to outsource their trade to multinational waste disposal companies.



Could this man be the next President of the United Sates? This incisive documentary examines Rudolph Giuliani's rise to power, his policies, and their effect on the city he referred to as the 'Capital of the World.'



Chronicles one season in the life of the Morningside High School basketball team, the defending California state champs, whose school is situated in a crime-ridden L.A. neighborhood.



From Buena Vista Social Club to Hollywood blockbusters, Havana's crumbling architecture has been romanticized in countless films and movies. But what about the people who must live in these buildings? This unique documentary paints a thought-provoking portrait of the inhabited ruins of Havana and their curious blend of magic and decay.



A wonderful film that illustrates the significance of gardens and green spaces in the face of ever growing urbanization and development.



Depicts the efforts of Latino residents of New York's Lower East Side who have taken over their own buildings abandoned by landlords.



Examines the plight of `squatters' in Brooklyn, NY as they try to claim buildings abandoned by the city and to transform them into habitable dwellings.



Examines the operations of the Bronx Housing Court which annually mediates some 125,000 disputes between tenants and landlords, including evictions, rent strikes and housing code violations.



As China continues its unprecedented economic growth, Last House Standing captures the poignant story of an elderly man caught between his country's past and future.



We’ve all seen homeless people pushing shopping carts down the street, shopping carts packed to the brim with all kinds of "junk." But what’s actually inside those shopping carts anyway?



An offbeat documentary portrait of Lily Dale, New York, one of America's oldest spiritualist communities, where just about everyone is a psychic or a medium who claims to be able to communicate with the dead.



An insightful documentary portrait of one of New York City's poorest neighborhoods, and the lives of five of its Puerto Rican residents.



This video follows the sculptures of the late Jean Tinguely (1925-1991), one of Europe’s most popular artists, as they are transported from his Swiss studio to their new home at the Museum of Basel.



This video tells the story of Springfield Park, a housing estate built in the early Sixties in West Belfast, made up of both Catholic and Protestant families who lived side by side in harmony.



This video tells the story of community gardens in New York City, which flourished during the Seventies when residents of deteriorating neighborhoods removed garbage from abandoned lots, obtained temporary leases from the city, and planted gardens.



Documents the efforts of a group of American volunteers--including architects, artists, teachers and psychologists--in building and operating a primary school in a poor Tiajuana neighborhood.



From the bulldozing of the public garden Esperanza to the completion of the luxury condos built in its place, Not For Sale chronicles life on East Seventh Street in New York City and the transformations that have taken place in the lives of its inhabitants.



This video celebrates the 25-year struggle of that Coalition and its successes. In their own words, neighbors document their history and hold up a vision for "ordinary people" everywhere that together they can transform lives and heal their communities.



Focuses on the Russian city of Ekaterinburg as a case-study illustration of the former Soviet Union's difficult transition from a socialist to a capitalist economy.



Examines the way Red Scare politics were used to impede the emergence of African-Americans as full participants in the political, social, and cultural aspects of postwar American life. Hosted by Morgan Freeman.



Examines the plight of homeless children through interviews with more than a dozen youngsters living on the streets of California's Bay Area.



The intriguing (and twisted) story behind the design and construction of the "Turning Torso," Europe's tallest residential building, designed by world famous architect Santiago Calatrava.



Part city symphony, part visual poem, The Solitary Life of Cranes explores the invisible life of a city, its patterns and hidden secrets, seen through the eyes of crane drivers working high above its streets. Referencing both Ruttmann and Vertov as well as Jane Jacobs' "The Death and Life of Great American Cities," it's a beautiful meditation on how our existence is shaped by the spaces we inhabit.



Tells the stories of poor people in Philadelphia who illegally take over or `squat' in abandoned houses in order to get places to live and to change housing policy locally and nationally.



This film tells the story of the unstoppable rise of the skyscrapers. Tall pits the struggle for artistic integrity against the demands of fashion and the client’s bottom line. It documents the showdown between Louis Sullivan and Daniel Burnham. The outcome changed the future, shaping the modern skyline throughout the world.



An urgent, beautifully crafted examination of urban sprawl and its impact on the environment, The Unforeseen is a critically-acclaimed, award-winning documentary from director Laura Dunn and executive producers Terrence Malick and Robert Redford.



Through a passionate mixture of private videos, uncensored interviews and school-day adventures, the young children of Singleton Charter Middle School, the first school to open in New Orleans after Katrina, have created a revealing portrait of urban youth at the heart of an ongoing American crisis.



This documentary tells the exciting story of who was involved: hundreds of thousands of ordinary citizens from all walks of life, even children, gave their small earnings to realize Miss Liberty, first in France and then in the U.S. It took 14 years to consummate.



Weimar: A Modern Day Renaissance City is a celebration of the small town that has capped its triumphant comeback by being recognized as the Culture city of Europe in 1999. This video looks at Weimar's past and present.



This video, which documents a controversy over plans to alter the original architectural design of the Whitney Museum of American Art, examines some of the problems raised by the decision, including Modernist and Post-Modernist styles, architecture as art, the responsibility of art museums to the public, and the role of the architect.



Examines gentrification, a process by which an underdeveloped neighborhood is 'upgraded' by real estate speculation, with higher income individuals moving into and improving existing properties, but also displacing many of the neighborhood's longtime residents.



Employing an imaginative mix of song and dance, narrative, documentary, parody, and a TV game show, this video examines urban crime in America and how the atmosphere of pervasive fear that envelops our cities encourages racial antagonism.