“Amsterdam and West 63rd Street, 1956” (Courtesy of New York City Parks Photo Archive)

 

New York, NY (August 27, 2024) – Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and Film at Lincoln Center presents the world premiere of Stanley Nelson’s San Juan Hill: Manhattan’s Lost Neighborhood, on Wednesday, October 9 at 6:00pm at Alice Tully Hall.  

 

This 62nd New York Film Festival Special Event will feature a conversation with director Stanley Nelson, producer Rita Coburn, and special guests following the screening. The film is narrated by Ariana DeBose, edited by Sebastián Díaz, produced by Rita Coburn, and produced and directed by Stanley Nelson. It is made possible by support from the Stavros Niarchos Foundation (SNF).

 

In the first half of the 20th century, the area now called Lincoln Square was known by another name: San Juan Hill. Musical phenomena like bebop and the Charleston were created there; its clubs and theaters nurtured creative geniuses like James P. Johnson, Josephine Baker, and Thelonious Monk; and artist spaces like the Lincoln Square Arcade counted luminaries like Eugene O’Neill, George Bellows, and Robert Henri among their inhabitants. Home to a largely working-class community, San Juan Hill was redlined in the 1930s and targeted by “urban renewal” in the 1940s and 1950s, when thousands of residents were displaced to make way for Amsterdam Houses, Lincoln Center, Fordham University, and additional developments. Directed by award-winning filmmaker Stanley Nelson, San Juan Hill: Manhattan’s Lost Neighborhood traces the neighborhood’s rise and fall through never-before-accessed records and archives, historical footage, expert commentary, and interviews with residents and explores the vibrant people, arts, and culture whose enduring legacy still resonates today.

 

Additional histories of the people, arts, and culture that once flourished in the neighborhood can be found at the Legacies of San Juan Hill digital hub. San Juan Hill: Manhattan’s Lost Neighborhood is a presentation of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts in association with Film at Lincoln Center.

Stanley Nelson is today’s leading documentarian of the African American experience. His films combine compelling narratives with rich historical detail to shine new light on the under-explored American past. Awards received over the course of his career include a MacArthur “Genius” Fellowship, five Primetime Emmy Awards, and lifetime achievement awards from the Emmys and the International Documentary Association. In 2013, Nelson received the National Medal in the Humanities from President Obama. Nelson’s latest films include Sound of the Police (for ABC News Studios/Hulu), Harriet Tubman: Visions of Freedom and Becoming Frederick Douglass (both for Maryland Public Television/PBS), the Academy Award-nominated Attica (for Showtime), and the forthcoming We Want the Funk: The History of Funk Music (for PBS’ Independent Lens).

 

Tickets for San Juan Hill: Manhattan’s Lost Neighborhood go on sale Tuesday, September 10 at noon ET, with pre-sale access for Lincoln Center Members beginning on September 5 at noon and FLC Members during NYFF62 pre-sale. Tickets are available on a Choose What You Pay basis, starting at $5.

 

Imagery is accessible here and trailer is here.

 

NEW YORK FILM FESTIVAL
Presented by Film at Lincoln Center, the New York Film Festival is an annual showcase of the best in world cinema. Since 1963, NYFF has shaped film culture and continues an enduring tradition of introducing audiences to bold and remarkable works from celebrated filmmakers as well as fresh new talent. The 62nd edition of the festival takes place September 27–October 14, 2024.

NYFF62 is generously supported by Co-Chairs Almudena and Pablo Legorreta, Imelda and Peter Sobiloff, and Nanna and Dan Stern; and Vice-Chairs Susannah Gray and John Lyons, and Tara Kelleher and Roy Zuckerberg.

FILM AT LINCOLN CENTER
Film at Lincoln Center (FLC) is a nonprofit organization that celebrates cinema as an essential art form and fosters a vibrant home for film culture to thrive. FLC presents premier film festivals, retrospectives, new releases, and restorations year-round in state-of-the-art theaters at New York’s Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts. FLC offers audiences the opportunity to discover works from established and emerging directors from around the world with a passionate community of film lovers at marquee events including the New York Film Festival and New Directors/New Films. 

Founded in 1969, FLC is committed to preserving the excitement of the theatrical experience for all audiences, advancing high-quality film journalism through the publication of Film Comment, cultivating the next generation of film industry professionals through our FLC Academies, and enriching the lives of all who engage with our programs.

Support for the New York Film Festival is generously provided by Official Partner HBO® and The New York Times; Contributing Partners Netflix, BritBox, Criterion, Bloomberg Philanthropies, MUBI, Dolby, the School of Visual Arts BFA Film, The Travel Agency: A Cannabis Store, New York Film Academy, and Manhattan Portage; Media Partners Variety, Deadline Hollywood, WABC-TV, The Hollywood Reporter, The WNET Group, IndieWire, and IMDb. Additional support provided in part by the NYC’s Mayor’s Office of Media and Entertainment, New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature. American Airlines is the Official Airline of Film at Lincoln Center.

For more information, visit filmlinc.org and follow @TheNYFF on X and Instagram.

For press inquiries regarding Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, please contact:
Isabel Sinistore, Lincoln Center, [email protected]
Jenni Klauder, Lincoln Center, [email protected]

For press inquiries regarding Film at Lincoln Center, please contact:
John Kwiatkowski, Film at Lincoln Center, [email protected]
Eva Tooley, Film at Lincoln Center, [email protected]