In Jackson Heights
New York's Jackson Heights neighborhood may be the most ethnically and culturally diverse place in the world where 167 languages are regularly spoken each day. The residents have all the differences imaginable, from origins, beliefs, to social and immigration status. This particular melting pot is a reflection of the all the Western world's current problems and dilemmas, where reinforcing relationships among members of the same community leads to growing further apart from other groups. That's one of the main issues in this documentary by direct cinema classic Frederick Wiseman. Following his intuition, the director places the camera in specific locations to observe decision-makers, community leaders while he stays in the background. You won't find any interviews, director commentary or provocations. It's a film-making technique which - as so often with Wiseman - almost gives you the feeling of actually living in the places and institutions he makes his films about, in some real-time, unedited sense, writes Peter Bradshaw for "Variety." After Aspen and Belfast, Maine, this is Wiseman's third documentary film devoted to communities, which becomes an extremely topical slice of reality.
Frederick Wiseman
Frederick Wiseman is one of America's leading documentary filmmakers. A graduate of Williams College and Yale University and Yale Law School, he spent years observing American public institutions, from hospitals, to schools, through a local boxing club. Wiseman never uses a script and always follows his intuition. By focusing on observation he eschews directorial commentary or interviews with protagonists. Usually, after shooting for several weeks, he devotes a year to editing the materials. Wiseman has made over 40 documentary films and won numerous prestigious prizes. He is 85 years old and remains professionally active.
Selected filmography
1967 Titicut Follies (doc.)
1968 High School (doc.)
1993 Zoo (doc.)
1999 Belfast, Maine (doc.)
2011 Crazy Horse (doc.)
Cast & Crew
