Emergent City Review: A Powerful Story of the Brooklyn Community Battling for Their Home

      Note: This review was initially published as part of our coverage for the 2024 Tribeca Festival. Emergent City will be released in theaters on April 25.

      To be completely open: I have visited Industry City in Sunset Park. I explored the shops and eateries, enjoyed lunch at the Japan Village market, and attended a happy hour near the cornhole sets and quirky outdoor seating. I do not reside in the Sunset Park neighborhood, nor am I originally from that area of Brooklyn. Like those who acquired the development over a decade ago, I am not part of the Sunset Park community. I was merely a guest.

      The new documentary Emergent City, created by Kelly Anderson and Jay Arthur Sterrenberg, delves into the development of the privately funded Industry City through the perspective of a re-zoning plan proposed by Jamestown, the large real estate management and investment firm that took control of the historic Brooklyn waterfront, the only part of which is not owned by the city. As a result, public space turned into private space, rents began to increase, and a plan for hotels and greater luxury was implemented. While this narrative is not novel, it resonates with New Yorkers, residents of small communities, and those who find themselves losing control over their land.

      The documentary tracks various stakeholders throughout the process, including Andrew Kimball, the former head of Industry City, and Carlos Menchaca, the district’s New York City Council member and a crucial decision-maker on the rezoning legislation. Community members and advocates, particularly Elizabeth Yeampierre, the Executive Director of UPROSE, recognized as “Brooklyn’s oldest Latino community-based organization” promoting sustainability in Sunset Park, oppose the ongoing privatization of the area. This creates a sort of stand-off, with little compromise from either side over the roughly 90 minutes of Anderson and Sterrenberg’s documentary, which captures this chapter of city history.

      The cameras document perspectives from both sides, observing council meetings, negotiations, and public discussions. The directors show a clear bias toward the community while also recognizing the situation is beyond their control. The filmmakers intersperse promotional videos and moments of branded content, reflecting how other Brooklyn residents might perceive Industry City. I include myself among those complicit in enjoying benefits without fully appreciating the impact of this privatization on the community.

      The film balances moments of anger with sober reflection, rarely depicting resignation from either the developers or the Sunset Park inhabitants, many of whom grow increasingly agitated and concerned. How much power does a community possess? And can that power withstand a corporation with greater resources, planning, and (real and figurative) concrete? This question appears central to the narrative. A predominantly immigrant population contends with a continuous stream of well-dressed white men, striving for what seems to be an unattainable goal, a scenario that has often been predetermined countless times in urban areas across America. Such a dynamic is nearly always compelling; the directors merely had to decide where to direct the cameras.

      Viewers will not find flashiness or extravagance in Emergent City. They won't encounter articulate interviews reflecting on past events with the clarity that only time can afford. Instead, the film presents an immediate and relevant depiction of gentrification as it unfolds. The narrative reveals a more complex situation than expected—victors and defeated are less distinctly defined than one might assume—and recounts the story of a community that persists in its fight, even as rents increase, land is appropriated, and lights are extinguished.

      Emergent City debuted at the 2024 Tribeca Festival.

      Rating: B-