Newsreel in New York

Newly digitally preserved, the films in this program look at social issues in New York in the late 60s and early 70s, from transit to healthcare to direct action of the Young Lords.

Join us for a post-screening Q&A with former Newsreel members Bev Grant, Tami Gold, and Heather Lewis.

El Pueblo se Levanta (1971)
Dir. Newsreel
42min
In English and Spanish with English subtitles

Faced with racial discrimination, deficient community services, and poor education and job opportunities In the late 60s, Puerto Rican communities in the continental US began to address these injustices by using direct action. This film focuses on the community of East Harlem, capturing the compassion and militancy of the Young Lords as they implement their own health, educational, and public assistance programs and fight back against social injustice.

Lincoln Hospital (1970)
Dir. Newsreel
11min

When a city-run health clinic in the South Bronx fails to meet the needs of the city, local residents and health workers force a strike and then run the clinic themselves.

The Wreck of the New York Subway (1969)
Dir. Newsreel
16min

During the winter of 1969, the New York Transit Authority increased the public transportation fee fare from 20 cents to 30 cents: a 50% increase. Infuriated riders scrambled under turnstiles and through exit doors, refusing to pay the fare. In The Wreck of the New York Subway, riders and subway workers denounce terrible conditions and constant fare increases. The film analyzes the vicious cycle of bonding the Transit Authority, which profits banks at the expense of taxpayers.