Michael Galinsky and Suki Hawley's documentary recounts the seven-year struggle of residents to save their property and community from a developer's plan to build a multi-block sports-arena complex at Brooklyn's Atlantic Yards. It's a bitter David-vs.-Goliath struggle that pits business and political heavyweights against ordinary citizens, while exposing tensions along lines of race and class. As happens in these cases, unexpected events affect both sides, but the filmmakers find an anchoring figure in Daniel Goldstein, one aggrieved resident who never gives up the fight. Goldstein devotes his life to the cause, and the cameras ride along as he weathers twists and turns, including several personal milestones. You might (or might not) be surprised who wins and who loses, but this is a compelling document for anybody interested in property rights, revitalizing cities and just how well ground-up citizen-led movements can fare against powerful corporate interests. The film screens as part of a mini-series of 2011 documentaries shortlisted for the 2012 Oscars.
Fri., Jan. 13, through Sun., Jan. 15. Harris
