New York: A Documentary Film The Future of Cities Screening and Q&A

Experience the newest installment of a sweeping narrative tracing the resiliency of the city through its myriad 21st-century crises. Director Ric Burns and co-writer and co-producer James Sanders debuted their encyclopedic five-part docuseries New York: A Documentary Film on PBS in 1999. Episodes six and seven were released at the end of September of 2001, and episode eight, which covered the attack on the World Trade Center, followed in 2003—the same year the first Open House New York Weekend took place, after the organization was created in 2002 to advocate for openness at a time when much of the city was hunkering down. Fittingly, OHNY is thrilled to host the first full public viewings of the long-awaited Episodes 9 + 10, which will be screened at the SVA Theatre in Chelsea on two consecutive Monday evenings this November. Join us to celebrate and reflect on the past quarter-century of this thrilling, challenging, dynamic city we all call home. Episode 10: The Future of Cities - November 16th, 6:00 PM Episode 10 begins just after 9/11 and follows New York’s efforts to recover under the new and untested mayoralty of Michael R. Bloomberg. Through rare archival footage and compelling interviews, the episode traces the aftermath of 9/11, the financial crisis of 2008, Superstorm Sandy in 2012 and the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020. Yet defying the doomsayers, the city also rebuilt itself in these years on a dramatic scale—economically, physically, and demographically—thanks to an astonishing influx of newcomers from around the world. The episode ends with the inauguration of Zohran Mamdani as mayor of New York in January of 2026. The screening of Episode 10 will be followed by a talkback and Q&A with filmmakers Ric Burns and James Sanders, moderated by Saundra Thomas, Principal, SPT Consults and Vice Chair of OHNY’s Board of Directors. Discounted community tickets are available for NYC nonprofit staff, educators, students, and those with limited income. Request a community ticket here.