Support Your Local Documentary Filmmakers: My Brooklyn

Shortly after graduating film school I got a job as a set Production Assistant on a film I'll call, Please Rewind Your Movies Upon Returning Them, by a director whom I'll call Michael Flondry. My boss was a frightening man who came from a long line of Ottoman Empire warriors and articulated all thoughts through screaming, and I once frantically pounded on an elderly woman's door at 6AM to ask for boiling water as one of the lead actresses had a sudden hankering for tea while far from the craft table.

I have a soft spot for the grueling process of filmmaking and the equally frantic job of a Production Assistant. These cats are the first to arrive on set and the last to leave. So to PA Lenford Wickham, thanks for sharing this project with us!

MY BROOKLYN chronicles the dramatic changes that have occurred in Brooklyn over the past ten years, and shows how these changes are not natural, but fueled by public policy. The film documents how an obsession with upscale environments driven by the Wall Street bubble is destroying the very economic, racial, and ethnic diversity and neighborhood character that have historically drawn many generations to the borough, and made it unique. This process has led to a fierce battle over the soul of the city, the themes of which resonate with urban communities across the county.

Over the past ten years, over one hundred rezonings have taken place in New York City, spurring a resurgence of large-scale development not seen in half a century. Meanwhile, the latest Census data confirms an ever-widening gap between rich and poor. Historically black sections of Brooklyn have become both whiter and richer, and hundreds of longtime small businesses have vanished. As New Yorkers begin to envision a post-Bloomberg era, MY BROOKLYN challenges residents new and old to an honest and urgent dialogue about the past, present, and future of a city in transition.

MY BROOKLYN is directed and produced by Kelly Anderson and Allison Lirish Dean, and includes interviews with scores of Brooklyn residents, business owners, journalists, activists, artists, planners, historians, elected officials, and developers. The film has been in production since 2006, and was shot in locations all over the city from Downtown Brooklyn, to Williamsburg, Park Slope, and Bed-Stuy. In addition to important contemporary footage, MY BROOKLYN features a rich tapestry of archival material, including photographs by Jamel Shabazz from the 1970s, 80s, and 90s. 

The film is currently in post-production, but these folks still need some cashmoneyhos to finish it. If you want to give them some love visit their Kickstarter page to toss a few shillings their way.

Best of luck in meeting your goal!