''Class Divide'' is a 2015
documentary film
A documentary film or documentary is a non-fictional motion-picture intended to "document reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction, education or maintaining a historical record". Bill Nichols has characterized the documentary in te ...
by
Marc Levin
Marc Levin is an American independent film producer and director. He is best known for his ''Brick City'' TV series, which won the 2010 Peabody award and was nominated for an Emmy for Exceptional Merit in Nonfiction Filmmaking and his dramatic ...
about
gentrification
Gentrification is the process of changing the character of a neighborhood through the influx of more affluent residents and businesses. It is a common and controversial topic in urban politics and planning. Gentrification often increases the ...
. The film premiered at the 2015
DOC NYC.
Description
The documentary shows the effects of gentrification in
Chelsea
Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to:
Places Australia
* Chelsea, Victoria
Canada
* Chelsea, Nova Scotia
* Chelsea, Quebec
United Kingdom
* Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames
** Chelsea (UK Parliament const ...
subsequent to the creation of the
High Line
The High Line is a elevated linear park, greenway and rail trail created on a former New York Central Railroad spur on the west side of Manhattan in New York City. The High Line's design is a collaboration between James Corner Field Op ...
park on the population of the neighbourhood. Since the rehabilitation of the old railways of the High Line into an urban park, the real estate market in the neighbourhood increased sharply. The documentary illustrates the impact of the changes this incurs in the life of the residents with the establishment of the for-profit private school
Avenues just opposite on 10th avenue and 25-26th streets of the
Chelsea-Elliott housing project which offers accommodation for low-income inhabitants (in the documentary, it is reported that tuition at ''Avenues'' costs between 40 000 and $50 000 per year while the average income in the housing project complexes is $21 000 per year with an unemployment rate about 58%). Marc Levin follows families from the ''Avenues'' school and from Chelsea-Elliott Houses. Focusing on the children and young adults from both sides of 10th avenue, the documentary shows the discrepancies in living situation, expectations and opportunities between them. It also shows their understanding of the situation and of each other.
References
2015 films
HBO documentary films
Works about gentrification
2010s English-language films
2010s American films
English-language documentary films
Documentary films about New York City
Chelsea, Manhattan
Documentary films about education in the United States
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