A meet up last week in Brooklyn for One Day in NYC.
Credit: Miles Dixon/Metro
“What are your city’s biggest challenges?”
Hundreds of people will attempt to answer that and other questions about New York City’s future this Saturday as part of a national 24-hour film collaboration.
During One Day in NYC, amateur and professional filmmakers, non-profit organizations and locals will document stories across the five boroughs, from park scenes in Brooklyn to street interviews in Manhattan.
“This is an opportunity for New Yorkers to come out and start communicating about the future,” said Brandon Litman, 32, co-creator and executive producer of the project.
Ten other American cities will join the “Your Day. Your City. Your Future.” initiative, which was inspired by One Day on Earth, a project also co-founded by Litman that had participants from every country in the world filming on a single day.
Litman said he hopes the new collaboration can showcase some of the biggest issues facing cities, from income inequality to job creation. A Staten Islander turned Williamsburg denizen, Litman said New York City in particular is poised for this kind of exploration.
“The city right now is going through big changes, not only changes in leadership but the people it’s attracting,” he said. “We’re all excited about things progressing, but there’s a lot of problems that still need to be addressed.”
Participants will use 10 questions — including one question of their own — as inspiration for their videos.
Ramon Goni, a filmmaker from Spain who lives in Greenwich Village, said he plans to focus on the concept of energy use in the city, from coffee to electricity.
“It’s freedom by energy,” said Goni, 32, who hopes to capture at least 12 hours of footage. “I want to tackle that project from a personal point of view.”
Rachel Grady of Brooklyn plans on filming nearly the whole day in Prospect Park, taking short breaks in between shots of Little League, dog walkers and a firework display.
“The layers of humanity are just endless,” said Grady, 42, a film director and producer whose work includes “Jesus Camp.”
The project’s resulting scenes, vignettes and interviews will be archived online and may be part of a TV series on the future of American cities.
Anyone can contribute, Litman said.
“It doesn’t matter what camera you’re holding — it matters what you’re pointing it at,” he said.
To participate, click here.
Follow Anna Sanders on Twitter @AnnaESanders
