Winter at Westbeth is a gorgeous documentary film about a retirement community in NYC. The film focuses on three individuals and their individual creative endeavours. It is a wonderful exploration of ageing, retirement communities and ‘ageing creatively’ and has been compared to the likes of Iris, Finding Vivian Maier and Bill Cunningham New York.
Filmed across one year in New York City’s Westbeth Artists Housing, Winter at Westbeth follows three extraordinary artists and their creative endeavours: video artist Edith Stephen (95) who is hoping to complete an experimental film for her birthday; revered contemporary dancer Dudley Williams (75) as he rehearses for an electrifying return to the stage; and published poet Ilsa Gilbert (82) as she faces her impending mortality with revealingly candid poetry.
Westbeth Artists Housing is in the Bell Laboratories Building in the West Village of New York City. The building began its life in 1898 as the home of the famed Bell Telephone Laboratories, serving as their headquarters until 1966. In 1966, Bell Telephone Laboratories vacated the building and it was converted into a combined lower income rental housing and commercial real estate complex. This was an innovative approach to public housing, never before seen on this scale. Overseen by architect Richard Meier, the complex included 385 rent controlled apartments for artists to live and work.
Winter at Westbeth is a gorgeous documentary film about a retirement community in NYC. The film focuses on three individuals and their individual creative endeavours. It is a wonderful exploration of ageing, retirement communities and ‘ageing creatively’ and has been compared to the likes of Iris, Finding Vivian Maier and Bill Cunningham New York.
Filmed across one year in New York City’s Westbeth Artists Housing, Winter at Westbeth follows three extraordinary artists and their creative endeavours: video artist Edith Stephen (95) who is hoping to complete an experimental film for her birthday; revered contemporary dancer Dudley Williams (75) as he rehearses for an electrifying return to the stage; and published poet Ilsa Gilbert (82) as she faces her impending mortality with revealingly candid poetry.
Westbeth Artists Housing is in the Bell Laboratories Building in the West Village of New York City. The building began its life in 1898 as the home of the famed Bell Telephone Laboratories, serving as their headquarters until 1966. In 1966, Bell Telephone Laboratories vacated the building and it was converted into a combined lower income rental housing and commercial real estate complex. This was an innovative approach to public housing, never before seen on this scale. Overseen by architect Richard Meier, the complex included 385 rent controlled apartments for artists to live and work.
Over time, Westbeth has amassed an older population, with 60% more than 60 years of age. As a result, Westbeth has developed into what is known as a Naturally Occurring Retirement Community. Director Rohan Spong notes, “with its mazes of corridors in whites and beige, Westbeth can initially feel more like a hospital of some kind, rather than a thriving artistic community.” However, as observed by the great Dudley Williams, one of the subjects of the film: “It’s amazing the things that happen, just by opening up a door.”
It was only luck that introduced Rohan Spong, an Australian-born independent filmmaker, to Westbeth, after stumbling across it on a winters day during a visit to New York. From that chance encounter, Rohan began visiting the residents of Westbeth with the goal of documenting a year in the life of the building, resulting in ‘Winter at Westbeth’. Rohan hopes the film will leave audiences questioning what it means to get older and to follow one’s passions.
Rohan has worked across film, video, photography and animation. His credits include T Is For Teacher (2009), a documentary about the experiences of four transgender school teachers in American schools, and the critically acclaimed All The Way Through Evening (2012), a musical documentary about the early era of HIV/AIDS in NYC, which was nominated by the Australian Film Critics Association for Best Documentary.
Winter at Wesbeth is an inspirational story about community, ageing and the need to keep creating. With comparisons being made to the acclaimed Bill Cunningham New York and Iris, critics have described Winter at Westbeth as “utterly charming”, “joyful” and “a love letter to the power of creativity”.
Winter at Westbeth will be screening at select cinemas across New Zealand from 27 April for a limited time.
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