et ready to dive into one of the most violent, drug-infested neighborhoods only to see it transform into the trendy, residential enclave it has become. Many of the old timers figured out how to survive the area when it was a ghetto - now the challenge for them is to see if they can survive gentrification. 7TH STREET draws the viewer into a neighborhood that most people were once too afraid to enter. An area that most people only heard rumors about: Alphabet City in NYC’s East Village, once known as the drug capital of the East Coast. The movie explores change in one of the most vital areas of NYC and the complexity of gentrification. Not only is this movie about one block in Manhattan – it’s about neighborhoods and communities all over the world where progress sometimes comes at the expense of richness of character and diversity. Viewers join in Pais’ struggle as he sees his block transform and become a safe place for his newborn son and a trendy neighborhood for the new inhabitants at the expense of his street family. The people who were his role models as a child he now sees homeless in Tompkins Square Park or discovers them dead. 7TH STREET will undoubtedly pull your heartstrings and make you look with fresh eyes at the place you call home.

Starring:

Josh Pais

Genre:

Documentary