If the Old Testament defines the Tower of Babel as the recipe for disaster, Jackson Heights, somehow, works. In his new film, master Frederick Wiseman (Crazy Horse, At Berkeley) explores the culture, politics and daily life of this region of Queens, known for having the largest diversity of ethnicities in the world. Through the director’s fly camera, we visit community centers, LGBT meetings, a madrassa school, a halal butcher and dancehalls. In the neighborhood of 167 languages, a conflict between traditional ties and American values must be overcome every day.
Frederick Wiseman
Born in Boston in 1930. He is one of the biggest names in documentary filmmaking, having directed 40 in the genre. He is one of the precursors of the movement that became known as Direct Cinema, with films such as Titicut Follies (1967), Primate (1974), Domestic Violence (2001), State Legislature (2007), La Danse (2009), Boxing Gym (2010), shown at Directors’ Fortnight at Cannes Festival, Crazy Horse (2011) and At Berkeley (2013).
