Free Time. 2019. USA. Directed by Manfred Kirchheimer. DCP. 61 min.
The great New York filmmaker Manny Kirchheimer revisits the observational footage he shot with Walter Hess in 1958–60. In radiant black and white, Kirchheimer and Hess depict the labor and leisure that are the beating heart of NYC. Our city has changed endlessly in the 60-some years since this footage was captured, but what hasn’t changed is the optimistic hope that New York City—and cities the world over—can function as places of connection and togetherness, where millions of people exist in an ecosystem built on community and public life. Courtesy of Cinema Conservancy