Documenting director Kelly Anderson’s personal journey as a Brooklyn “gentrifier,” the film seeks to understand the forces reshaping her neighborhood along race and class lines. The story begins in 1988 when Anderson moves to Brooklyn, lured by its cheap rents and bohemian culture. By 2001, a massive speculative real estate boom is rapidly altering the neighborhood. The explosion of luxury housing and chain store development spurs bitter conflict over who has a right to live in the city and to determine its future. Then, development officials announce a controversial plan to tear down and remake the Fulton Mall, a popular African-American and Caribbean commercial district. As the debate over the mall’s future intensifies, deep racial divides in the way people view neighborhood change become apparent. Directed by Kelly Anderson and produced by Allison Lirish Dean.

My Brooklyn

2012 US 77 min
Festival Year: 2014
Types: Documentary
Topic: Global Perspectives