Slumlord Millionaire - Film and Talk

SLUMLORD MILLIONAIRE is a documentary focused on the housing crisis in NYC. In New York City’s most quickly gentrifying neighborhoods, a group of fearless residents, activists, and nonprofit attorneys fight corrupt landlords and developers for the basic human right to a home.

The film features four individual David vs. Goliath battles that clearly expose the human toll of gentrification.:

🏠Janina Davis, a former supermodel who is trying to reclaim her home after a deed theft scam;

🏠Sam and the Bravo family who have been in a legal battle with their landlord for 15 years;

🏠Ren Ping Chen, a resident of Manhattan Chinatown who fears his historic community may disappear after the construction of four luxury towers; and

🏠Moumita Ahmed whose city council campaign was viciously targeted by real estate developer billionaires

Join us for this acclaimed PBS documentary, with the film directors and activists at the City College of NY, Shepard Hall Rm 291 at 259 Convent Ave at 140th street at 6 PM Oct 8th. Free, light refreshments served. ID needed to enter the building. Accessible space, ASL and CART provided.

Presented by Third World Newsreel, the Documentary Forum at CCNY and cosponsored by AAARI (Asian Americn/Asian Research Institute CUNY).

Directions: #1 to 137 st, ABCD to 145th St. Accessible route: #6 to 125th St, M101 bus to 140th street. Questions to [email protected]

Filmmakers Ellen Martinez and Steph Ching directed and produced the award winning documentary AFTER SPRING, a feature documentary about the Syrian refugee crisis. They were both honorees on DOC NYC inaugural "40 Under 40" list as directors.

#SlumlordMillionaire #Cinema #Activism #Documentary #HousingRights #HousingJustice

DIRECTORS & PRODUCERS

Ellen Martinez and Steph Ching directed and produced AFTER SPRING, a feature documentary about the Syrian refugee crisis. The film was Executive Produced by Jon Stewart, world premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival, broadcast on Starz and is the recipient of a Frontline Award for Documentary Journalism. Their work has been supported by the Sundance Institute, Latino Public Broadcasting, Firelight Media, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and NYSCA. They were both honorees on DOC NYC inaugural "40 Under 40" list as directors. As a producer, Ellen has worked on projects for HBO, Disney+, PBS, Participant Media and Imagine Documentaries and was a Netflix Nonfiction Directing/Producing Fellow. She is originally from Texas but grew up living overseas in Dubai, Venezuela, and Syria. She is now based in Brooklyn, New York. Steph is also an editor and she has worked on “Cameraperson,” “The Fourth Estate,” “The Brink, “Take Out with Lisa Ling” and Netflix’s “White Hot.” She is the proud daughter of Hong Kong immigrants.

Photo: Carlos Sanfer

PRODUCER

Nicole Tsien (she/her) is an independent producer based in Queens, New York. She is most passionate about uplifting BIPOC filmmakers and supporting creative documentaries. She previously worked in television for over a decade; most recently as the Director of Program Development at CNN Films where she worked on Little Richard: I Am Everything, directed by Lisa Cortés, produced by Bungalow Media + Entertainment; and Glitch: The Rise and Fall of HQ Trivia, directed by Salima Koroma, produced by Left/Right. She was formerly the Co-Producer of POV, the longest-running documentary series on PBS where during her tenure, she worked to present over 90 films to a national audience and has been the recipient of multiple News and Documentary Emmys, Peabody, and duPont-Columbia nominations and awards. Nicole has participated on panels and juries worldwide, including CAAMFest, Doc NYC, and Austin Film Festival. She took part in the inaugural Film Independent Documentary Producing Lab in 2024; was a 2021 Rockwood JustFilms Fellow; and was part of the inaugural cohort of Doc NYC Documentary New Leaders in 2020. Nicole is on the Steering Committee for the Asian American Documentary Network (A-Doc) and serves as a board member of Brown Girls Doc Mafia.

CO-PRODUCTION / EXECUTIVE PRODUCER - Latino Public Broadcasting

Latino Public Broadcasting is the leader of the development, production, acquisition and distribution of non-commercial educational and cultural media that is representative of Latino people, or addresses issues of particular interest to Latino Americans. LPB provides a voice to the diverse Latino community on public media throughout the United States.

CO-PRODUCTION / EXECUTIVE PRODUCER - Firelight Media

Firelight Media is the premier destination for non-fiction cinema by and about communities of color. Firelight Media produces documentary films, supports filmmakers of color, and cultivates audiences for their work.

CO-PRODUCTION / EXECUTIVE PRODUCER - Center for Asian American Media

The Center for Asian American Media is a nonprofit organization dedicated to presenting stories that convey the richness and diversity of Asian American experiences to the broadest audience possible. We do this by funding, producing, distributing and exhibiting works in film, television and digital media. For 40 years, CAAM has exposed audiences to new voices and communities, advancing our collective understanding of the American experience through programs specifically designed to engage the Asian American community and the public at large. 

Event Venue & Nearby Stays

The City College of New York, 259 Convent Avenue Shepard Hall Rm 291, New York, United States