Emergent City

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1:59

Emergent City

Apr 2025

1h 35m

Documentary

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12 Reviews

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An observational civic epic revolving around Industry City, the largest privately owned industrial property in New York. Global developers seek to transform the waterfront Brooklyn complex into an "Innovation District," or what the New York Times called "the SoHo of Sunset Park." Divergent stakes draw battle lines between the local, primarily Latino and Chinese immigrant communities, the city council and Industry City's developers. Over a decade, within the borders of a single Brooklyn community district, a microcosm of American democracy emerges. Emergent City sheds light on power and process, illuminating systems and giving viewers a front row seat to the public and private spaces where the city is shaped. With extraordinary access, the film explores the profound intersections of gentrification, climate crisis and real estate development, and asks how change might emerge from dialogue and collective action in a world where too many outcomes are constrained by money, politics and business as usual.

John Anderson

Wall Street Journal

Aug 15

That “Emergent City” is such a handsome documentary is a tribute to its subject -- the topographically sublime neighborhood of Sunset Park, Brooklyn -- and to the nimble subjectivity of cinematography and editing.

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Matt Zoller Seitz

RogerEbert.com

Apr 28

3.5/4

An old-school documentary that tells a story by presenting and arranging information and expecting you to meet it halfway rather than having everything spoon-fed to you.

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Stephen Silver

The SS Ben Hecht

Sep 7

The film likely didn’t mean it this way, but I watched it and was rooting for them to build the building.

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Siddhant Adlakha

Truthdig

Jul 8

The filmmakers use techniques normally meant to transition between scenes, but they hold on these shots instead of cutting away, turning them into a central focus.

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Christopher Campbell

Nonfics (Substack)

Apr 27

The documentary is temporally immersive. By the end, you not only feel like you lived through its decade-long narrative but also through each and every mind-numbing town hall and community meeting.

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Jared Mobarak

Hey, Have You Seen ...?

Apr 25

8/10

The informative and compelling footage the filmmakers have compiled is the main driving force here, but I must make note of the expert editing and structural organization of the whole with just the right amount of contextual exposition.

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Director B

May 24

I can only guess that the professional reviewers thus far are from New York or know the people involved because, although this is not the worst documentary ever made, it's barely worth streaming for free when you can multitask. There are so many better ways to spend your time at the movie theater this summer and far better documentaries streaming. If you like watching long news stories, enjoy documentaries that simply methodically layout the facts, or are involved in urban planning, you'll probably find this documentary watchable. To be fair, the directors did a solid job of documenting the story - much like a long investigative report on cable news. I'm not sure why you'd want to see that in a movie theater, though. My suggestion is: Wait for it to stream.

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Kelly Anderson

Director

Jay Arthur Sterrenberg

Director

Kelly Anderson

Producer

Brenda Avila

Producer

Carrie Lozano

Executive Producer

Stephen Maing

Executive Producer

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Emergent City: Trailer 1

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Synopsis

An observational civic epic revolving around Industry City, the largest privately owned industrial property in New York. Global developers seek to transform the waterfront Brooklyn complex into an "Innovation District," or what the New York Times called "the SoHo of Sunset Park." Divergent stakes draw battle lines between the local, primarily Latino and Chinese immigrant communities, the city council and Industry City's developers. Over a decade, within the borders of a single Brooklyn community district, a microcosm of American democracy emerges. Emergent City sheds light on power and process, illuminating systems and giving viewers a front row seat to the public and private spaces where the city is shaped. With extraordinary access, the film explores the profound intersections of gentrification, climate crisis and real estate development, and asks how change might emerge from dialogue and collective action in a world where too many outcomes are constrained by money, politics and business as usual.

Director: Kelly Anderson, Jay Arthur Sterrenberg
Producer: Kelly Anderson, Brenda Avila
Distributor: Meerkat Media
Production Co: ITVS
Genre: Documentary
Original Language: English
Release Date (Theaters): Apr 25, 2025, Limited
Runtime: 1h 35m