Emergent City

Play trailer

1:59

Emergent City

In Theaters Fri Apr 25

1h 35m

Documentary

Play Trailer

Watchlist

Watchlist

Tomatometer

Popcornmeter

100%

Tomatometer

5 Reviews

Popcornmeter

0 Verified Ratings

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.

Coming Soon

In Theaters Fri Apr 25

Reserve Tickets

Kelly Anderson

Director

Jay Arthur Sterrenberg

Director

Kelly Anderson

Producer

Brenda Avila

Producer

Carrie Lozano

Executive Producer

Stephen Maing

Executive Producer

Paul Emmanuel Enicola

The Movie Buff

Documents not just a local issue, but a reflection of the broader urban struggle between development and displacement, economic growth, and cultural retention.

Rated: B

Jul 6, 2024

Full Review

Christopher Llewellyn Reed

Hammer to Nail

The documentary does a terrific job showing the many ingredients that go into a working democracy … No group is a monolith, and the vibrancy of disagreement and occasional harmony has its fingerprints all over the narrative.

Jun 14, 2024

Full Review

Michael Frank

The Film Stage

It’s not a new tale, but one that contains resonance for New Yorkers, for any member of a small community, and for those who lose control over the land they call home.

Rated: B-

Jun 14, 2024

Full Review

Alan Zilberman

Washington City Paper

It leaves enough wiggle room for the audience to make up its own mind, a kind of nonfiction Rorschach test to help us illuminate how we really think about everything from housing costs to climate change.

Jun 13, 2024

Full Review

Stephen Saito

Moveable Fest

The full picture that emerges is invigorating when whether or not Industry City makes good on their own blueprints, you can see the architecture of how modern cities are designed and who they are made for.

Jun 12, 2024

Full Review

Read all reviews

Emergent City: Trailer 1

1:59

View more videos

View more photos

The American Question

100%

95%

The American Question

Watchlist

TRAILER

for The American Question

So Unreal

89%

%

So Unreal

Watchlist

Carpet Cowboys

93%

%

Carpet Cowboys

Watchlist

TRAILER

for Carpet Cowboys

Favoriten

100%

%

Favoriten

Watchlist

We Kill for Love

88%

%

We Kill for Love

Watchlist

Discover more movies and TV shows.

View More

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