Terraza 7: documentary that narrates the phenomenon of gentrification in New York
By Argelis V. Wesley
New York has been affected by the phenomenon of gentrification during the most recent years. This phenomenon is characterized by the modernization of neighborhoods, the creation of new commercial offers, the loss of cultural value and the expulsion of residents with scarce financial resources.
Gentrification is fully displayed in the documentary Terraza 7, directed by the Ecuadorian filmmaker Carlos Freire who gave us an interview. The story of Terraza 7 is fascinating by itself because Freire bases his documentary on a character who has a problem. In this sense, the character is the entertainment venue Terraza 7 that will close its doors due gentrification. For Terraza 7, Freire filmed several hours of interviews with the business owner, with the main intention of shedding light on the small businesses that are being affected by gentrification in Jackson Heights, Queens. Throughout the documentary, Freire also got interviews with employees who reinforce the director's vision.
If we focus on what Carlos Freire is telling us along Terraza 7, it seems that we are facing an eminent venue closing. It is a sad and frustrating feeling. That is the intention of this documentary...to denounce the closing of dozens of small and medium businesses in New York as a result of gentrification. Gentrification is a phenomenon where we can only aspire to getm along with some social actions that slow down the displacement of working Latino families and the preservation of the cultural value of the gentrified area.
Carlos has filmed several documentaries such as My Dream on the Other Side. One of the most relevant aspects of Carlos' film projects is that he manages to involve the Latino community by addressing issues of social interest such as immigration or gentrification.
In the interview that this talented filmmaker gave us, we managed to get advice on how to make documentaries. It should be noted that the documentary Terraza 7 won an award under the category of Best Documentary USA during the first edition of Latino Film Market in July 2017. If you like Carlos Freire's interview, you will find more material like this one in our channel on YouTube. You can also check our selection of film industry workshops that are designed for emerging Latino filmmakers on our website.
Photo source: Latino Film Market