New York, Our Time
Filmmaker Vivienne Dick’s new film is an intimate and philosophic documentary that contrasts the concerns of present day living in New York with the bohemian wildness of the city she arrived into in the late 70’s, reflected through the lives of artists, musicians and friends of the filmmaker. To a pulsing soundtrack, the film combines never before seen Super 8 footage from the era while the filmmaker was living in the East Village, with intimate conversations with old friends filmed during the hot summer of 2019 in New York. Stories of the past recall a run down, bankrupt, often dangerous city, but where rent was cheap and artistic creativity flourished. While in the NYC of today, glittering mirrored towers reflect a city radically consumed by mass gentrification, tourism, and high end luxury gift shops for the one percent.