Frederick Wiseman's 40th feature-length documentary follows Jackson Heights, Queens, one of the liveliest and most culturally diverse neighborhoods in New York City; a confluence of styles, cuisines and languages, which today, like much of the city, is caught in the gears of economic "development." 

Wiseman's mastery is as absolute as it is transparent: his film moves effortlessly from a support meeting for the LGBT community to a performance by street musicians; to a meeting of Holocaust survivors; to a hilarious course for aspiring taxi drivers; to an expert in eyebrow waxing; to the annual gay pride parade; to a meeting of local businesspeople at a beauty salon to discuss looming economic threats; to street merchants selling their merchandise; to a meeting of undocumented immigrants in danger of deportation. Wiseman captures the textures of New York life in 2015 and the music of local speech, embroidering before our eyes a vast dynamic and emotionally complex tapestry.
- Collection
 
Category: Human Rights Focus
Director: Frederick Wiseman
Producer: Frederick Wiseman
Photography: John Davey 
Editor: Frederick Wiseman
Sound: Christina Hunt and Frederick Wiseman 
Duration: 190'
United States, 2015

This film is presented within the framework of the Santiago International Documentary Festival, FIDOCS.

You May Also Like