About THE FILM
The Domino Effect (2012)
The Domino Effect is a feature length documentary film that explores the origins and impacts of gentrification and luxury redevelopment in Williamsburg and Greenpoint, Brooklyn under the Bloomberg administration. The film follows the rezoning of the Domino Sugar Factory on the East River waterfront and delves deep into the politics and economics of urban development on the frontier of Brooklyn’s gentrification. Told through the voices of longtime residents, the film conveys the personal impact of gentrification while shedding light on the struggles faced by communities across the nation. This film could not have been made without the collaboration of many community residents, organizations and advocates. Above the filmmakers are joined with a few of the subjects from the film.
Isabel Hill, Filmmaker
"An excellent film that shows us how, in the most insidious ways, large real estate development projects can charade as good urban planning"
Rob Hollander, Community Activist
"This documentary is a must see for anyone who wants to see for themselves the reality behind the current administrations notion of urban planning, its use and abuse of inclusionary zoning, its subservience to the real estate industry and the city's intentions for the future of low-income or ethnic communities across the five boroughs"
Sharon Zukin, Professor of Sociology
"The Domino Effect traces the painful fractures when a low-key former working class community is torn apart by pressures for high-rise real estate development. The filmmakers follow the development process from abandonment of a choice industrial site on the waterfront to conflicts over residential zoning, jobs, and "affordable housing". They show the dark side of growth that makes it so difficult for low-income communities to protect their right to stay in their neighborhoods - a distressing but also an empowering vision for students of cities and society."
Tom Angotti, Professor Emeritus of Urban Policy and Planning at Hunter College
"This is an expertly filmed story that reveals how big real estate used false promises of "affordable housing" and helped kill industrial jobs in a dynamic Brooklyn Community, all in the pursuit of profit."