Monday, March 27, 2017

The Lost Village

On April 4, at the New York City International Film Festival, you can see Roger Paradiso's "The Lost Village," the story of NYU and real estate in Greenwich Village.



Here's the synopsis:

"Once a haven for the proverbial starving artist who brought creativity as their currency, the Village is now a hangout for cover bands and Wall Street hipsters hopelessly aspiring to recreate something that is lost. We encounter testimony of NYU students turning to prostitution to pay NYU’s predatory tuition that fuels NYU’s real estate ambitions.

We find 'Mom and Pop Shops' in trouble. Their closures have changed the culture and character of our Village. High rents and no regulations cause over 1,000 small businesses to leave New York City every month.

Can the Village be saved? Or is Greenwich Village lost forever?"

Watch the trailer here:


The Lost Village Trailer 2.28.17 from Roger Paradiso on Vimeo.

See the film at The Producers Club, 358 West 44th Street, April 4 at 8:00 p.m.

4 comments:

Mk said...

I've lived in the South Village for 45 years,and have watched the population change and rents go up,up,up...but rentals on some of the older tenement buildings have hit a (still ridiculous) wall. Even NYU students can't plunk down 2200 a month for a tenement studio. Interesting to see what will happen,though I don't see a return to bohemia anytime soon...Cupcakes anyone?

Brian said...

I blame TV shows like Felicity, Friends and Sex And The City for over hyping the Village to young people.

Sunscreen Icarus said...

With plenty of caveats, I still love the Village. So much of it still looks and feels like itself (to me, at least). Has landmarking been more effective there than elsewhere? Does anyone know?

Scout said...

I can see (perhaps) thinking that the Village looks unchanged (unchanged since 1995 or so, that is), but the feel is entirely different from what it was in the 70s or even early 80s. I can vouch for that. And to those who were there in the 50s, 60s or earlier will certainly say that it's now unrecognizable. There isn't one iota of true bohemianism there at all. It's a clean, shiny mall for rich kids.