A PHOENIX THEATRE ENSEMBLE PRODUCTION

WHAT HAPPENED TO JACKSON AVENUE: A Story of Urban Renewal
A Documentary Film by Hakima Alem and Rudi Gohl

In the summer of 2019 Clara Francesca, Elise Stone, and Craig Smith from Phoenix Theatre Ensemble  were meeting with Bill Batson, Nyack community leader, historian, and activist, outside in the Nyack parking lot next to Main Street planning the Nyack performing arts festival.  At one point Bill standing in some empty parking spaces said, “This was Jackson Avenue, our family home stood here” –  thus began a 2-year journey leading to this powerful documentary film about the urban renewal program in 1960’s Nyack.

“What Happened to Jackson Avenue, a story of urban renewal” covers an urban renewal program that removed 125 families (79% Black) . These families lost their homes, families, and community and the lost generational wealth. The film includes personal and emotional stories from individuals who  were  present and saw the destruction of their community, some of who are now in their 80s and 90s & want to be heard.

After the June 24 screening, Nyack Sketch Log’s Bill Batson (who is interviewed in the film) moderates a discussion with Rockland County Civil Rights Hall of Fame honoree, Barbara Williams (also interviewed in the film); Win Perry (interviewed in the film), President of the Historical Society of Nyack; and the film’s producer, Hakima Alem.

The July 7 discussion will be moderated by Bill Batson. Participants will be announced soon.

“A film that could have settled for being a masterclass in technique, but instead goes deeper, exploring questions of artistry, authorship, legacy.” NPR

“Had The Christophers just been a cross-generational punch-up, the sort of flinty showdown designed to throw off pleasurable sparks, you’d still walk away content. It remains a conduit for two of the best performances you’ll see all year.” – David Fear, Rolling Stone

“The Christophers is largely a comedy, but it’s also about all that we gain and lose with age, and about how we sometimes need young people to bring us back to ourselves.” – Stephanie Zacharek, TIME

“Having lost the inspiration that guided him to greatness, Julian is an artist who can no longer paint, and Lori is an artist who has lost all confidence in there being a place for her work in the larger world. For all the undercurrents about fame, commodification, and reputation that flow through The Christophers, at its core is a more plaintive lament about what it feels like to love something that doesn’t love you back.” – Alison Willmore, Vulture

“Go see The Christophers. Show up, and support a tiny, talky experiment that has no relationship to IP or sequels or box-office projection. It’s not a perfect movie, but it’s also never, as Lori grudgingly notes about Julian’s work, uninteresting. And in this cultural moment, that’s an authentic win.” – Elizabeth Weitzman, Time Out

“The Christophers is a work of criticism that deftly distinguishes different approaches to criticism.” ­– Justin Chang, The New Yorker 

“Brims with hilarious dialogue, lightly satirical observations of a culture that treats art as a commodity, and satisfying payoffs to a number of story elements planted early on.” – Seth Katz, Slant Magazine

“In the end, this film about artists becomes a work of art in its own right. The more you look at it, the more its many components reveal themselves to you.” – Chase Hutchinson, The Wrap

“Ian McKellen plays Julian Sklar, a sardonic art legend who meets his intellectual match in frank preservationist Lori Butler (Michaela Coel). In a test of wits and wills held mostly in a single-setting, Soderbergh pushes both characters to return to their former passions through philosophical conversations that reflect his own career.” – Robert Daniels, Screen International

“It bats about ideas pertaining to art, commerce, ownership and legacy with dexterous aplomb and boasts two equally superb leads who make the material crackle.” – David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter

“The Christophers is a talky, at times incredibly funny, comedy drama with plot reversals that make it feel like it’s on the verge of a thriller. It doesn’t end up there, at least not strictly, but it’s unpredictable enough to never make us entirely sure just where it’s heading.” – Benjamin Lee, Guardian

“There’s no room for anything shy of genius in The Christophers, a crackling original drama about artistic legacy in all its facets, directed by Steven Soderbergh , from a script by Ed Solomon (No Sudden Move) and starring two top-notch English actors of wildly different backgrounds and styles, Ian McKellen and Michaela Coel, at the top of their respective games.” – Peter Debruge, Variety

“With Ian McKellen in superbly crotchety form and Michaela Coel exuding chilly cunning, it’s further proof that Soderbergh remains one of American Cinema’s most inimitable, and adventurous, auteurs. – Nick Schager, The Daily Beast