26 Feb 2010
The Get By: Making It on the Streets of NYC
A Queens man has discovered enough hidden treasure — bits of diamonds, rubies, platinum and gold — on the gritty sidewalks of Midtown’s Diamond District to make a living.
This Is the Bowery
In this somewhat whitewashed documentary on Manhattan's Bowery a newcomer to the area takes his first step toward redemption after a meal, bed, and inspiring talk.
Top Billed Cast
John Nesbitt Narrator
Similar movies
The Get By: Making It on the Streets of NYC The Get By: Making It on the Streets of NYC Salsa Lives 
Salsa Lives 26 Jun 2025
Salsa Lives
La Salsa Vive is a vibrant cinematic exploration of Afro-Cuban music's history, tracing its roots from New York's lively streets to Cali, Colombia, now the global salsa capital.
Taxi Driver Stories 
Taxi Driver Stories 14 Aug 2007
Taxi Driver Stories
Interviews taking a look at New Your City of the 1970's through the eyes and experiences of actual taxi drivers of the era
View on Boulevard, New York City 
View on Boulevard, New York City 01 Sep 1896
View on Boulevard, New York City
Taken in 1896 on the Boulevard (upper Broadway) on the occasion of a bicycle parade in the heyday of the wheeling craze. Old-fashioned horse cars lend interest to the scene.
Shine a Light 
Shine a Light 04 Apr 2008
Shine a Light
Martin Scorsese’s electrifying concert documentary captures The Rolling Stones live at New York’s Beacon Theatre during their A Bigger Bang tour. Filmed over two nights in 2006 with an all-star team of cinematographers, the film combines dynamic performances with archival footage and rare glimpses behind the scenes, offering a vibrant portrait of the band’s enduring energy and legacy.
Max Gimblett: Original Mind 
Max Gimblett: Original Mind 19 May 2017
Max Gimblett: Original Mind
Max Gimblett: Original Mind documents the life and process of eccentric, creative genius Max Gimblett. One of New Zealand’s most successful and internationally prominent living painters, Gimblett has been working in America since 1962. The filmmakers spent a week in Gimblett’s Soho loft where he and his devoted studio assistants generously revealed the techniques and philosophy behind his beautiful art.
Days of Black and Yellow 
Days of Black and Yellow 21 Feb 2019
Days of Black and Yellow
New York cab and black car drivers are facing economic and emotional hardship in a city dominated by ride-share apps. As these long standing industries are decimated by economic and political forces, drivers are forced to cope or fight back.
Veselka: The Rainbow on the Corner at the Center of the World 
Veselka: The Rainbow on the Corner at the Center of the World 09 Feb 2024
Veselka: The Rainbow on the Corner at the Center of the World
New York City's beloved Ukrainian restaurant Veselka is best known for its borscht and varenyky, but it has become a beacon of hope for Ukraine. As the second-generation owner Tom Birchard reluctantly retires after 54 years, his son Jason faces the pressures of stepping into his father’s shoes as the war in Ukraine impacts his family and staff.
Empire City 
Empire City 01 Jul 1985
Empire City
A film essay contrasting the modern metropolis with its "golden age" from 1830-1930, with the participation of some of New York's leading political and cultural figures. Made at a time when the city was experiencing unprecedented real estate development on the one hand and unforeseen displacement of population and deterioration on the other. Empire City is the story of two New Yorks. The film explores the precarious coexistence of the service-based midtown Manhattan corporate headquarters with the peripheral New York of undereducated minorities living in increasing alienation.
Wealth of a Nation 
Wealth of a Nation 01 Jan 1964
Wealth of a Nation
"This film explores how freedom of speech — including dissent — is afforded to all Americans, and shows freedom of expression in art, music, dance, architecture, and science. The film also emphasizes the importance of the individual’s contribution to the whole of society and demonstrates how a productive and creative society is formed by the open and respectful exchange of ideas. The film was written, produced, and directed by William Greaves" (National Archives).
Ghislaine Maxwell: Filthy Rich 
Ghislaine Maxwell: Filthy Rich 25 Nov 2022
Ghislaine Maxwell: Filthy Rich
Stories from survivors frame this documentary detailing the sex-trafficking trial of Ghislaine Maxwell, a socialite and accomplice of Jeffrey Epstein.
Who Killed Michael Stewart? 
Who Killed Michael Stewart? 01 Jan 1986
Who Killed Michael Stewart?
A documentary about a case of police brutality in the 80's NYC, the killing of graffiti artist Michael Stewart
Global Enlightenment: Part 1 Global Enlightenment: Part 1 21 Jun 2005
Global Enlightenment: Part 1
The shape-shifting and enigmatic hip hop artist Kool Keith has managed to surprise, shock, and enrage fans and detractors alike with virtually every album he has released. His many personas include Dr. Octagon, under which he released 1996's Dr. Octagonecologyst, a futuristic masterpiece that flouted traditional hip hop mores in favor of intriguingly disruptive, warped rhymes. He is also the Black Elvis, Dr. Doom, Mr. Gerbik, and Rhythm X, and is formerly of the Bronx group the Ultramagnetic MCs, with whom he first established himself as a rapper that pushes the envelope and is not afraid to be critical of the system within which he operates. This DVD release features multiple interviews with the artist, as well as live concert footage. Keith takes his audiences on a tour of Manhattan and the Bronx. Keith also explains why he loves seltzer water.
How to Squash a Squat 
How to Squash a Squat 01 Jan 1989
How to Squash a Squat
1989, New York City's Alphabet City and East Village. A year after the Tompkins Square Park Riot, squatters and their community allies try to stop the demolition of their building after an arson. Police forces occupy the neighborhood while the demolition continues. A portrait of an East Village that is no more. An homage to the voices and sounds of a neighborhood before its gentrification.
Strange Days Diary NYC 
Strange Days Diary NYC 10 Oct 2024
Strange Days Diary NYC
One neighborhood in New York City, March 2020: the coronavirus is spreading rapidly, the federal government is clueless, and life seems increasingly surreal. A month later, the city has become an epicenter of the pandemic as the death rate spirals upwards. Then the racial justice protests erupt... Strange Days Diary NYC is an intimate account of living through a disruptive, frightening, yet inspiring time.
Paint Until Dawn: a documentary on art in the life of James Gahagan 
Paint Until Dawn: a documentary on art in the life of James Gahagan 08 Jun 2020
Paint Until Dawn: a documentary on art in the life of James Gahagan
Seeing is to painting what listening is to politics. Survival as an artist demands both. Paint Until Dawn is a documentary on art in the life of James Gahagan (1927-1999), who painted all night to push the limits of vision. His life and thought reveal a correlation between art and activism through an interesting angle: the creative process itself.
Trifles of Importance 
Trifles of Importance 13 Jul 1940
Trifles of Importance
Part of John Nesbitt's Passing Parade series, this short shows how three seemingly unimportant things can affect people. The first is how the number 7 affects a student accused of theft charges. The second segment shows that a person's doodles can reveal personality traits. The final segment shows why certain items are on men's suits, such as lapels.
Dark Days 
Dark Days 30 Aug 2000
Dark Days
A cinematic portrait of the homeless population who live permanently in the underground tunnels of New York City.
Mad Hot Ballroom 
Mad Hot Ballroom 13 May 2005
Mad Hot Ballroom
Eleven-year-old New York City public school kids journey into the world of ballroom dancing and reveal pieces of themselves and their world along the way. Told from their candid, sometimes humorous perspectives, these kids are transformed, from reluctant participants to determined competitors, from typical urban kids to "ladies and gentlemen," on their way to try to compete in the final citywide competition.
Kristina Talking Pictures 
Kristina Talking Pictures 02 Nov 1976
Kristina Talking Pictures
Kristina, a self-named Hungarian female lion tamer, arrives in New York to become a dance choreographer. Kristina, now a middle-class NYC artist concerned about the environment, has a sailor lover named Raoul. The film, a collage work, an essay film, a fictional narrative and a documentary all rolled into one, is one of the most important independent American feminists films made during the 1970's.