Filmmakers Ric Burns and James Sanders debuted their encyclopedic five-part docuseries New York: A Documentary Film on PBS in 1999. Episodes six and seven were released at the end of September of 2001, and episode eight, which covered the attack on the World Trade Center, followed in 2003—the same year the first Open House New York Weekend took place, after the organization was created in 2002 to advocate for openness at a time when much of the city was hunkering down.
Fittingly, OHNY is thrilled to host the first full public viewings of the long-awaited Episodes 9 + 10, which will be screened at the SVA Theatre in Chelsea on two consecutive Monday evenings this November. Join us to celebrate and reflect on the past quarter-century of this thrilling, challenging, dynamic city we all call home.
Episode 9: Shadows of the Past - November 9th, 6:00 PM
Episode 9 explores the forces that shaped the city in the second half of the 20th century, as New York plunged into the most threatening period of decline and disorder in its history—only to rise again, thanks to a stunning drop in crime, to regain its place at the vanguard of world cities. The episode concludes in the summer of 2001, with New York, now remarkably safe and secure, unaware that a new threat from beyond its borders would soon threaten to undo all the progress of the previous decade.
The screening of Episode 9 will be followed by a talkback and Q&A with filmmakers Ric Burns and James Sanders, moderated by Cassim Shepard, Principal, SQ Projects and OHNY Board Member.