Voces de Fillmore
ROLE
Co-Director
YEAR2015
Documenting Puerto Rican Spatial Histories in South Williamsburg
Fillmore Place, is a small block nestled in Williamsburg Brooklyn’s South Side, affectionately known to longtime residents as Los Sures.
Historically a vibrant hub of Latino culture, this neighborhood has witnessed a significant demographic shift over the past decade, with the Latino population decreasing from seventy to forty-five percent.
THE
CHALLENGESince the early 2000s, following policies implemented post-9/11 by former Mayor Michael Bloomberg that intensified earlier gentrification efforts, Williamsburg and its neighbor, Greenpoint, were among the first Brooklyn neighborhoods to experience sharp rent increases and rapid displacement. Originally a stronghold for a large Puerto Rican community, the transformation has been marked by luxury developments and economic pressures that challenge the ability of longstanding residents to maintain their homes and community ties.
FIG.¹
Each year, old time residents gather for the annual Fillmore Place block party, where people displaced by the gentrification can return to pay homage to the enduring spirit of the community.
The way Fillmore Place's residents were overlooked, and the gentrification process seemed to be simply accepted by others without alarm was distressing to me. I wanted to find a way to show what was happening and make the faceless process of gentrification actually feel as human and personal as it truly is.
FIG.¹
OLD TIME RESIDENTS GATHER FOR THE ANNUAL FILLMORE PLACE BLOCK PARTY.
THE
SOLUTION
I co-directed Voces de Fillmore, a documentary that traces the memories and experiences of families living on one block in South Williamsburg. The film specifically focuses on the block-level impact of gentrification, examining how such transformations affect the daily lives and communal fabric of families who have lived and raised families in Williamsburg for several decades. By documenting their stories, the film highlights the struggle of many New Yorkers fighting to maintain their homes, culture, and community in a rapidly transforming city. Conceived at Third World Newsreel’s 2011 workshop for emerging filmmakers, Voces de Fillmore not only documents the cultural erosion caused by gentrification but also serves as a moving narrative of resilience and resistance by those determined to remain in their community.
As part of our ongoing efforts to engage and empower communities impacted by gentrification, Voces de Fillmore has been screened in a variety of community-based settings across New York City including Downtown Community Television Center (DCTV), El Puente, ABC No Rio, and the Museum of Reclaimed Urban Space (MORUS).
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PHOTOGRAPHY
FIG.²
INTERVIEWING A MEMBER OF THE LUGO FAMILY, LONGTIME RESIDENTS ACCROSS SEVERAL GENERATIONS, FOR THE FILM.
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DOCUMENTING FOOTAGE ON-SITE FOR THE FILM WITH A YOUNG RESIDENT.
FIG.⁴
ARCHIVAL PHOTOGRAPH OF FILLMORE PLACE IN THE 1907s. RELEVANT LINKS
¹FILM INFO AND DISTRIBUTION VIA THIRD WORLD NEWSREEL