2025

On May 30, 1995, New York's mayor Rudy Giuliani sent an armored tank down East 13th Street to evict a community of squatters and arrest dozens of protestors. Survival Without Rent follows a vibrant community as they illegally take over abandoned buildings in the 1980s and form a haven for artists and activists. Told with rare archival footage and oral histories, the film provides a glimpse into this anti-capitalist world on New York's old Lower East Side.

Role: Producer
Directors: Elana Meyers & Katie Heiserman
Supported by: New York State Council on the Arts, Chicken & Egg, Untitled Filmmakers Org, American Documentary, and New York Foundation of the Arts.
World Premiere: Big Sky Documentary Film Festival [Shorts Competition]
Additional Screenings & Awards: Chicago Underground Film Festival [Best Short Documentary], DOCNYC, Ji.hlava [International Competition], Maryland Film Festival, Athens International Film + Video Fest [Jury Honorable Mention], Rooftop Films Summer Series, Oak Cliff Film Festival