Class Divide (film)

Last updated
Class Divide
Directed by Marc Levin
Produced by
Cinematography
Edited byEma Ryan Yamazaki
Music by Marc Ribot
Production
companies
Distributed by
Release date
  • 2015 (2015)
Running time
71 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish

Class Divide is a 2015 documentary film by Marc Levin about gentrification. [1] [2] [3] The film premiered at the 2015 DOC NYC. [4]

Description

The documentary shows the effects of gentrification in Chelsea subsequent to the creation of the High Line park on the population of the neighbourhood. Since the rehabilitation of the old railways of the High Line into an urban park, the real estate market in the neighbourhood increased sharply. The documentary illustrates the impact of the changes this incurs in the life of the residents with the establishment of the for-profit private school Avenues just opposite on 10th avenue and 25-26th streets of the Chelsea-Elliott housing project which offers accommodation for low-income inhabitants (in the documentary, it is reported that tuition at Avenues costs between 40 000 and $50 000 per year while the average income in the housing project complexes is $21 000 per year with an unemployment rate about 58%). Marc Levin follows families from the Avenues school and from Chelsea-Elliott Houses. Focusing on the children and young adults from both sides of 10th avenue, the documentary shows the discrepancies in living situation, expectations and opportunities between them. It also shows their understanding of the situation and of each other. [5]

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Eastlea, is a central-east, mixed use, medium density suburb of Harare, Zimbabwe, in its east end. Historically lower middle class, it has long been among the city's most diverse areas, attracting British, Greek and Portuguese immigrants in the post war era. This was followed by an influx of black and coloured Zimbabweans and immigrants from Mozambique, Malawi and the DRC after 1980. By 2012, its white population had shrunk to less than 15% from 63% in the early 1980s. The neighbourhood is located just east of the CBD, across from the neighbourhoods of Newlands and Highlands, and just north of Braeside and Hillside. To the east of Eastlea are the suburbs of Greendale and Msasa Park. Eastlea is relatively small area with a high population density.

References

  1. Gold, Daniel M. (2016-04-12). "Review: 'Class Divide' Shows the Extremes Hypergentrification Creates in a Neighborhood". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2018-03-21.
  2. "6 Fascinating Things We Learned From HBO's 'Class Divide'". Town & Country. 2016-10-06. Retrieved 2018-03-21.
  3. Lowry, Brian. "'Class Divide,' '13th' tackle class, race in HBO, Netflix documentaries". CNN. Retrieved 2018-03-21.
  4. "CLASS DIVIDE". DOCNYC.
  5. Levin, Marc (2016). "Class Divide" (video). HBO. Retrieved 2022-02-06.