#los sures

“This revival and response to Los Sures has meant very much to me personally. It is not often that a documentary film gets a second life after so many years. This is permitting the film to be part of a deeper reflection on the history of Puerto Ricans and other Latino immigrant groups in the U.S. and to validate with a new, broader public the communities they have built, their experiences, difficulties and achievements. In all these ways, it is demonstrating another critical aspect of the power of documentary film.”

Diego Echeverria, the director of the essential 1984 portrait of Williamsburg, introduces his film Los Sures at Notebook.

“In the late 70s and early 80s, Los Sures was one of the poorest neighbourhoods in New York City. In fact, it had been called the worst ghetto in America. Diego Echeverria’s film skillfully represents the challenges of it's time: drugs, gang violence, crime, abandoned real estate, racial tension, single-parent homes, and inadequate local resources. The complex portrait also celebrates the vitality of this largely Puerto Rican and Dominican community, showing the strength of their culture, their creativity, and their determination to overcome a desperate situation. Beautifully restored just in time for the 30th anniversary of the premiere at the New York Film Festival, this documentary is a priceless piece of New York City history.”

“There’s a film from 1984, and there’s all this new work that we’ve done with to bring it out. A lot of that has been creating relationships and working with the people who are here,” says Allen. “For the organization, the point is to be connected and make the current point of the city as connected as it was in the film.”