The Rink

Mar 26, 2015, 7:00 pm

Segal Theater

Branch Brook Park Roller Rink, located in Newark, NJ, is one of the few remaining urban rinks of its kind. This concrete structure is nestled in a public park bordered by public housing and a highway. Upon first glance, the exterior resembles a fallout shelter; however, the streamers and lights of the interior are reminiscent of 1970s roller discos. This 55 minute documentary depicts a space cherished by skaters and a city struggling to move beyond its past and forge a new narrative amidst contemporary social issues.

The screening will be followed by a discussion and Q&A with filmmakers Sarah Friedland and Ryan Joseph, CalvinJohn Smiley (Professor of Justice Studies), and will be moderated by CUNY scholar Brenden Beck (Sociology).

The Right to the City Film Series features five films depicting cities undergoing processes of uneven development as they take place in Manhattan, Brooklyn, Newark, Detroit and Istanbul. Each film screening will be followed by a Q&A with filmmakers and CUNY faculty and students from different departments, bringing together media artists and scholars working on similar issues and research sites. The Film Series seeks to create a space of interdisciplinary discussion on the impact of global capitalism on cities, and to examine the possibilities of media to contribute to urban research.
The series is co-sponsored by Critical Psychology, Earth and Environmental Sciences, Sociology, the Center for the Humanities, the Center for Place, Culture and Politics, the Center for Urban Research, the Center for Human Environments, the Public Science Project, and the Doctoral Students Council, Graduate Center, CUNY.