Documentary on gentrification in Blijvertje 2nite
Kraakgroep Oosterparkbuurt - 13.03.2008 17:09
An Invitation for a Documentary on the Politics of Gentrification
‘Flag Wars’ (by Linda Goode Bryant and Laura Poitras)
@ 't Blijvertje @ 21.00 @ Derde Oosterparkstraat 64, Amsterdam
A Documentary on the Politics of Gentrification taking place in a black working class neighborhood in Columbus, Ohio.
FILM SYNOPSIS
Shot over four years, "Flag Wars" is a poignant 90-minute account of
economic competition between two historically oppressed groups, seen
through the politics and pain of gentrification. The setting could be
any city with a once stable working and middle class black community,
now aging and economically depressed, in danger of losing control of
their neighborhoods as wealthier home buyers gentrify block by block.
In this case, the neighborhood is in Columbus, Ohio and the home
buyers are largely white and gay.
The resulting conflicts are a case study of differences in perception.
Where realtors and buyers see run-down homes, black residents see
evidence of institutional racism that steered resources away from this
community. What newer residents see as a beneficial effort to renovate
and restore value, veteran residents see as an assault on their
heritage and a threat to their ability to hold on to their homes.
The events in "Flag Wars" unfold against a backdrop of racism,
homophobia, and tensions between privilege and poverty. Mix in
government zoning boards, the court system, lending institutions, and
civic leaders, and you've got a film that literally hits people "where
they live." "Flag Wars" explores the complexity of gentrification, and
the contradictions between intention and result, belief and action. It
goes beyond merely assigning blame or labeling people as "good guys"
or "bad guys" to examine the relationship between housing, heritage,
and public policy
For 't Blijvertje program in March, see:  http://www.indymedia.nl/nl/2008/03/50787.shtml
 E-Mail: oosterparkbuurt@gmail.com  Website: http://www.slimblijven.nl
|
