Thirty years ago, before the invasions of hipsters and
overpriced latte's, the South Williamsburg neighborhood of Brooklyn was
known as “Los Sures,” a place imbued with vibrant life, a community of
close-knit Puerto Rican and Dominican families living amidst everyday
economic struggle. Today, with the neighborhood fully gentrified, it
feels vital to remember this lost world, and Diego Echeverria’s
essential documentary, shot in the early eighties on 16mm, brings it all
back to life, through the eyes of five different residents.
Diego
Echeverria’s film skillfully represents the challenges residents of the
Southside faced: poverty, drugs, gang violence, crime, abandoned real
estate, racial tension, single-parent homes, and inadequate local
resources. The complex portrait also celebrates the vitality of this
latino community, showing the strength of their culture, their
creativity, and their determination to overcome a desperate situation.
Beautifully restored for in stunning 4k, this documentary is an
invaluable piece of New York City history but one that resonates in all
communities that have changed and particularly so in Wynwood.
Preceded by:
OF MEMORY & LOS SURES (2011)
is a hybrid animated short documentary film directed and produced by
Andrew Parsons & Laurie Sumiye featuring oral histories of longtime
residents of Los Sures. Voices of longtime residents are juxtaposed with
images suggesting a recently disappearing past. The film weaves their
stories, reflecting unique glimpses into collective memory of a place
undergoing rapid changes. Through explorations of urban space, the film
unearths fragments of history and culture, and recreates those memories
through video, photography, archival documents, and animation.