Christopher Allen | Splicing into an Existing Narrative: Living Los Sures and Local Co-creation

Known by its long-term Latino residents as Los Sures, the neighborhood was one of the poorest in New York City in the late 70s and early 80s. In fact, it had been called the worst ghetto in America. Today, it is the site of a battle between local identity and luxury lifestyle. With the restoration of LOS SURES, a brilliant work of cinéma vérité filmmaking as a starting point, the project has developed into a collection of 40 SHORT FILMS, the interactive documentary 89 STEPS, and the cinematic people’s history SHOT BY SHOT, demonstrating new possibilities for collaboration between an arts institution and its surrounding community to collect memories and share local culture. In this, the first event in OHMA's 2016 Thursday Workshop series, UnionDocs co-founder, Christopher Allen screened some pieces from Living Los Sures and examined the practical techniques and theoretical frameworks used to develop the project, including how oral history and local memory forged meaningful relationships, inspired many young creatives to work together and get more involved, and aided efforts to shift the power balance for a community resisting the growth machine. Christopher Allen is a producer/director of documentary media projects and a programmer of multi-disciplinary events. After graduating from Columbia University and studying at Trinity College Dublin, he co-founded UnionDocs, a Center for Documentary Art, and has been responsible for the organization’s growth from grassroots as the Executive Artistic Director. WHEN: September 22, 2016 WHERE: Knox Hall 509, 606 West 122nd Street New York, NY, 10027