downtown

A DECADE OF TRIBECA FILM FEST

PGS. 15 - 25

®
VOLUME 23, NUMBER 49
express THE NEWSPAPER OF LOWER MANHATTAN APRIL 20 - 26, 2011

School rezoning
distresses Downtown
community
BY ALINE REYNOLDS
Some Downtown young-
sters may soon have lengthy
bus rides to get to school
each day if the city goes
ahead with its plan to rezone
the area south of 14th St.
The School Construction
Authority, a branch of
the NYC Department of
Education, announced
last week that it would be
funding new school seats
Downtown Express photo by John Bayles based on newly designated
sub-districts, rather than
Spring is the season for hoops districts, for the first time.
This system would divide
Drew Mihalik and Dave Monnat, both seniors at Pace University, took advantage of the weather last Thursday and Lower Manhattan into east
during a break between classes found their way to the basketball courts at West Thames Park. and west at Broadway. To
the community’s angst, the
new plan groups “Lower
vice president of capital plan
management, presented
the data to NYS Assembly
Speaker Sheldon Silver’s
School Overcrowding Task
Force on Thurs., April 14.
The April amendment to
the 2010-14 Capital Plan
funds 1,301 new seats for
Tribeca, the Village and
Lower Manhattan West —
greater than the 725 addi-
tional seats needed in these
neighborhoods by 2014,
according to the DOE. The
SCA overprotected the
capacity needs of District
Two, Bergin explained,
because the area’s housing
sector is not growing as
quickly as previously antici-

Pols: Stop tour bus invasion Manhattan West” and

BY ALINE REYNOLDS
Residents near Ground Zero fear
the worst as they anticipate height-
ened congestion when the National
September 11th Memorial and Museum
opens in September.
Approximately 1,500 people an
hour are expected to visit the memo-
rial, 20 percent of whom are likely to
arrive at the site by tour bus, according
to New York State Assembly Speaker
Sheldon Silver.
Silver, along with other local
elected officials, met with members of
Community Boards 1 and 3, the New
York City Department of Transportation
and the New York Police Department
last Friday, April 15, to discuss new
parking regulations, enforcement for
the tour buses and alternative means of
transportation for World Trade Center
visitors.
The memorial, which is expected
to draw five to seven million people
annually, will receive between six and
eight busloads of visitors per hour. The
resulting traffic congestion and air pol-
lution could pose everyday hassles and
safety risks for local residents if not
properly dealt with, according to New
York State Assemblywoman Deborah
Continued on page 8
Tribeca with the Village; and
“Lower Manhattan East”
with Chinatown.
The Department’s new
and existing resources for
the two Downtown subdis-
tricts are projected to be
sufficient for the area’s seat
capacity needs, according to
the DOE’s latest projections.
Liz Bergin, the department’s
pated. (The Department did
not immediately identify
where they would secure the
additional 225 needed seats
in Chinatown and Lower
Manhattan East.)
Bergin assured that
there are enough seats for
Downtown youngsters in
the pipeline — 518 seats, for
example, at the Foundling
Hospital (P.S. 340), which
Continued on page 6

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Fine Hand Rolled Cigars from the Dominican Republic

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2 April 20 - 26, 2011 downtown express

FR E E
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©2011 Tribeca Enterprises LLC

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Downtown Express photo by John Bayles

Nurturing a green thumb,

one mistake at a time
Phyllis Goldberg was tending her tiny plot in Liberty Gardens in Battery Park City last
Thursday. Goldberg admits that her thumb might not be the greenest when it comes
to some of the other gardeners who use the plots to grow everything from vegetables
to flowers. But for Goldberg gardening is a hobby and she appreciates the chance to
pick up tips from others who use the space.
FA M I LY F E STIVA L STR E E T FA I R “I’m basically uprooting a mistake,” Goldberg said as she tried to rip out one of old
Presented by American Express® plants. “When I put this one in last year, I thought it was a perennial. But when I came
Greenwich Street (North of Chambers Street) out here today, it was dead as a doornail.”

Come join the party in the heart of Tribeca for a fun-filled family-friendly interactive
celebration! It’s a full day of entertainment and activities. Enjoy food and fun from
some of Tribeca’s world-class restaurants, merchants, and schools. Fly a kite, watch
a live performance, get creative with arts and crafts, dance to music, and put a smile
Tribeca locals dash
on your face — it’s all here in Tribeca.

Broadway performances, face painting, family films, storytelling… and so much more!
eatery’s live music hopes
A Tribeca restaurant’s petition to enliven
TR I B E CA /E S P N S PO RT S DAY its nightlife atmosphere was shot down at
a Community Board 1 meeting on Wed.,
Sponsored by Time Warner Cable®
April 13.
N. Moore Street (Between Greenwich and West Streets) In an advisory role, C.B. 1’s Tribeca
ATTENTION SPORTS FANS! Kids of all ages can try their hand at a vast array of Committee voted unanimously to deny the
sports activities, games, and challenges at the 2011 Tribeca/ESPN Sports Day. Favorite owner of Sazon additional forms of night-
New York athletes, mascots, and sports personalities will be on-site to engage kids in time entertainment. “Live music is essential
one-of-a-kind athletic fun. Shoot hoops, perfect your puck skills, or learn how to throw
to a Puerto Rican restaurant,” and will have
the perfect pitch.... we’re taking sports to the street in Tribeca!
a make-or-break impact on the business,
according to its attorney, Martin Mehler.
Live music, however, is prohibited by
stipulations in the restaurant’s state-regu-
lated liquor license, according to committee
member Jeff Ehrlich.
Several nearby residents cringed at the
mere thought of the proposals.
Amy Sewell, who lives at 99 Reade St.,
said she is often disturbed at night by rowdy
patrons loitering on the street after they
leave the restaurant.
“We know you have intentions of being
good neighbors, but it hasn’t worked,” she
said. “Even if you’re [only] open until 1 or 2
a.m., people stay on the street partying until
3 or 4 a.m. It’s a problem.”
“It’s horrifying that you’re thinking of
staying open later,” said Lisa Schiller, anoth-
er resident of 99 Reade St. who also gets
irritated by the noise.
The restaurant is already in violation of
State law, according to Sewell’s husband,
Charlie Sewell. He said he regularly sees the
restaurant’s windows open after 7 p.m. — a
breach of the restaurant’s liquor license
— and hears loud music streaming from
inside.
“Y ou basically operated a discotheque
downstairs on a nightly basis,” Sewell said.
Sazon’s owner, J.R. Morales, said in reply
that he had hired a D.J. a few nights a week
to play oldies music on the bottom floor of
the venue.
The eaterie, concluded Peter Braus, chair
of the Tribeca Committee, would “have a
bunch of work to do” before considering
submitting an application with the owner’s
desired changes.
“I can’t see this committee considering
any additional dispensation of the restau-
rant,” said Braus. “I don’t think we’d be
acting in the best interest of the neighbor-
hood.”
— Aline Reynolds

www. DOWNTOWNEXPRESS .com

downtown express April 20 - 26, 2011 3

NEWS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .1-15, 18-19

D
Tribeca Open Artist Studio Tour
OWNTOWN
DIGEST
The annual TriBeCa Open Artist Studio Tour (TOAST)
allows residents and interested parties to take a behind-
the-scenes look at the work of some of Tribeca’s most
talented artists. Visitors will be take self-guided tours
through the artists’ studios, where they will have the
opportunity to speak directly to and purchase pieces from
the artists.
The four-day event will take place from Fri., April 29 to
Mon., May 2, in 36 different locations across Tribeca.
“We’re excited to offer a true glimpse behind the cur-
tain that exposes where neighborhood artists create, what
inspires them and how they do what they do,” said Ruth
McLaughlin, treasurer of TOAST and a participating artist.
“This is a unique opportunity to immerse oneself in an open
artistic atmosphere of discussion and enlightenment.”
Now in its 15th year, the tour is at its largest since its
creation, with close to 100 artists participating this season.
For information on the event, and to view previews of
the participating artists and download a tour map, visit
toastartwalk.com
Confronting Islamist propaganda
A reformed ex-member of the Islamic group Hizb ut-
Tahrir will speak in Tribeca at an
event called “The Front Lines of Counter Terrorism:
Confronting Islamist Extremist Propaganda.”
Maajid Nawaz is a former high-ranking member of the
global political organization, which seeks to unite all Muslim
countries as one Islamic state. After spending four years in
EDITORIAL PAGES . . . . . . . . . . 16-17
YOUTH . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20-21
ARTS . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 - 27
prison as an Amnesty International prisoner of conscience,
he reversed his ideology and now promotes counter-extrem- CLASSIFIEDS. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26-27
ist views. He also seeks to challenge the popular opinion that
the West is out to destroy Islam.
During his appearance on Thurs., April 28 at the 9/11
C.B. 1
Memorial preview site (located at 20 Vesey St.), ut-Tahrir
will discuss his experience with the radicalization process
and the necessity for free societies to challenge erroneous
narratives and promote pluralism.
RSVP at national911memorial.org to reserve a seat.
M EE TING S
The upcoming week’s schedule of Community
Otherwise, seats are available at the door on a first-come Board 1 committee meetings is below. Unless other-
first-serve basis. wise noted, all committee meetings are held at the
board office, located at 49-51 Chambers St., room
709 at 6 p.m.
Rotary Club campaigns to end Polio
The Rotary Club of Wall Street New York invites the ON WED., APRIL 20: C.B. 1’s Waterfront
public to listen to Paul Katz, founder and CEO of entertain- Committee will meet.
ment and social awareness company Commit Media, who
will speak about the End Polio Now campaign. The Rotary ON THURS., APRIL 21: C.B. 1’s Quality of Life
Club is one of more than 30,000 clubs established globally to Committee will meet.
impact social change on a local and international level. The
event is part of a larger campaign by Rotary International to ON MON., APRIL 25: C.B. 1’s SLA Process
eradicate polio across the world. Review Task Force will meet.
“Rotary and its partners have reduced polio cases by 99
percent worldwide,” according to the organization’s website. ON TUE., APRIL 26: C.B. 1 will host its monthly
“Thanks to Rotary, Polio remains endemic in just four coun- full board meeting at Claremont Preparatory School,
tries: Afghanistan, India, Nigeria, and Pakistan.” located at 41 Broad St.
Katz will speak at the Down Town Association, located
at 60 Pine St.

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4 April 20 - 26, 2011
POLICE BLOTTER
A Full Service Salon Making Our Seek sexual predator
Neighbors Beautiful for 15 Years Police are looking for a man who sexually attacked two
women at knifepoint in the elevators of their buildings on
Welcomes the Tribeca
ca Film Festival the Lower East Side. The suspect, described as Hispanic, 17
to 25 years old, between 5’8” and 5’10” with a dark com-
Call Now for Appt. plexion and heavy-set, followed his victims into elevators in
212-647-8588 the La Guardia Houses on Clinton Street, drew a knife and
attacked them in stairwells, police said. The suspect attacked
155 AVENUE OF THE AMERICAS his first victim, 19, at 7:30 a.m. last Jan. 18. His recent vic-
(Corner of Spring St.)
tim, 17, fought off the attack at 10 p.m. Thurs., April 14.
www.spacesalon.net Anyone with information should phone crime stoppers at
(800) 577-TIPS (8477), go online at 222nypdcrimestoppers.
com or text to 274637 (crimes) and enter TIP577.
Having an Affair ? Holland Tunnel crash
Five people were injured in a four-car accident in the
It Should be Prestigious Holland Tunnel north tube near the New Jersey side around
1 p.m. Sat., April 16. The victims were treated at the Jersey
It Should be Elegant City Medical Center. The north tube was closed until 2:45
It Should be………………………. a.m.
The Event of Your Life Close shave
Police arrested Adrian Wynn, 42, for stealing four
Gillette fusion cartridges valued at $66 from the Rite Aid
Prestigious & Elegant Events at 495 Broadway near Broome Street on Friday morning,
917.522.0049 • 800.286.7924 April 15. The suspect was charged with robbery because he
Tracy@PrestigiousEvent.com punched a security guard and another employee who tried
PrestigiousEvent.com to stop him from walking out of the store without paying for
the shaving products.
GRAND OPENING! Shoplifters
Two men walked into American Apparel, 121 Spring St.,
at 6 p.m. Mon., April 11, and walked out with 18 men’s
Sabor de Mexico shirts with a total value of $1,068, police said. At closing
Mexican Grill time, employees discovered that 17 sweaters and 13 flannel
shirts had also been stolen that day.
Employees at Glory Chen boutique at 121 Greene St. told
police that an unknown suspect walked off without paying
for four handbags valued at $2,813 sometime before 4:30
Fighting to keep Seaport museum from sinking
Free Fast Delivery BY ALINE REYNOLDS
95 Trinity Place, NYC Tourists hoping to catch an exhibit at the Seaport
T: 212-227-6192 F: 212-227-6193 Museum are in for a disappointment, at least for the next
month, and perhaps for good.
The museum at 12 Fulton St., which has been struggling
88 Fulton Street to keep its doors open in recent months, seems to be unof-
(Corner of 33 Gold St.) ficially closed.
Due to “a variety of scheduling and other issues,” the
New York, NY 10038
museum will not open its next exhibit until mid-May, at
212.587.8930 the earliest, according to a receptionist at the museum who
212.587.8935 wouldn’t disclose their name.
Free Delivery! Details about the forthcoming exhibit haven’t yet been
released. “They’re working on it right now and are hoping to
Min. $10
have more information soon,” said the receptionist.
The only exhibits that are currently open to the public are
on the Ambrose lightship and Peking four-masted barque,
two of the museum’s eight historic ships.
The Peking, which reportedly is up for sale, has deterio-
rated substantially over the years, with restoration costs esti-
mated at around $28 million, according to marine surveyor
and consultant Joseph Lombardi.
Authentic Thai
Mary Ellen Pelzer, the museum’s president, declined to
& Vegetarian comment about the museum’s finances, which have recently
downtown express
pm. Thurs., April 14.
An employee of Stella, 138 W. Broadway between
Thomas and Duane Streets, saw a man who entered the shop
at 12:40 p.m. Wed., April 13 fleeing from the place without
paying for a blue cashmere throw valued at $1,245.
Stain scam
A visitor from Denmark told police that she was in Soho
on Sunday afternoon, April 17, when a stranger told her she
had a stain on her jacket and led her to the outdoor café
at Antique Garage, 41 Mercer St. near Broome to help her
clean up. Before she knew it, the stranger fled with her bag
that she had just put on a chair. She lost Danish credit cards
and driver’s license, a camera, her hotel card key and $150
in U.S. currency.
Car gone
A Brooklyn man parked his Acura TSX model on the
southwest corner of Rector and Greenwich Streets at 4:20
a.m. Sat., April 16, and returned at 1:45 p.m. after finishing
his work day to discover the car, valued at $25,000, had
been stolen.
Three-card monte
An employee at J & R Music at 23 Park Row stopped
a man as he was paying for a CD with three credit cards
around 2 p.m. Sun., April 17 and discovered the suspect’s
ID did not match the name on the credit cards. Irving Adams
charged with ID theft, told police he found the cards.
Teen robberies
Police arrested Devante Scott, 17, and charged him with
robbing seven teenage male victims between the ages of 15 and
18 in Manhattan subways in the East Village, Lower Manhattan,
Harlem and on the Upper West Side in the past eight weeks.
Scott confronted the victims with a knife or a handgun before
stealing their cellphones and iPods, police said.
— Alber t Amateau
been in dire shape. A museum spokesperson issued a written
statement, saying, “The Seaport Museum [NY] continues to
work to resolve its current fiscal challenges and place itself
on a path to long-term sustainability.”
Several sources once or currently affiliated with the
museum, however, don’t believe that to be true.
“It seems to me the museum is trying to somehow man-
age to shut down,” said Michael Abegg, former chief mate
of the museum’s schooner, the Lettie G. Howard, who was
fired last week for violating a media policy.
A clear indicator of this, Abegg said, is the museum’s
decision to no longer advertise programming on its boats.
“The current regime doesn’t really see the importance of the
boat or the education program,” he said.
Only two staff members remain in the museum’s educa-
tion department, according to Abegg, and they’re not cur-
rently booking trips on its sailing vessels.
The captain of the Pioneer schooner, who ran a very suc-
cessful volunteer program, was let go on Feb. 2 amid other
recent layoffs and furloughs that have led to a loss of more
than half the museum’s staff, according to sources.
Continued on page 28
downtown express
One year in, B.P.C. library fosters community spirit
BY ALINE REYNOLDS
Financial District resident Grace Tate
considers her local public library to be her
home office.
Tate, who runs a paralegal outsourcing
boutique, sets up shop at the same computer
every day, six days a week, on the first floor
of the Battery Park City library, a branch of
the New York Public Library, where she per-
forms legal research, composes legal briefs,
listens to music and watches movies.
Tate will treat herself to a gyro sandwich
from a vendor stationed in front of the
nearby Whole Foods Market when she gets
in a good day’s work.
“The library has been indispensable”
since May of last year, Tate said, when she
began coming regularly.
“At home, you can have all kinds of dis-
tractions,” she said. “Here, I lose myself in
what I’m doing. I like my routine.”
The B.P.C. library, which celebrated its
one-year anniversary in March, welcomed
more than 173,200 patrons in its first year,
and offered a whopping 375 programs for
children, adults and seniors.
Its busiest month was last July, when it
served more than 17,000 patrons, according
to the library’s manager, Billy Parrott.
“All you have to do is open the doors and
people come,” said Parrott, an employee of
the New York Public Library system since
2004.
Between the influx of neighborhood
Competing visions for South St. Seaport
BY TERESE LOEB KREUZER
The weather cooperated — predicted
rain did not materialize. It was neither too
hot nor too cold on April 9 as around 900
people crowded into a parking lot on South
Street between Beekman and Fulton Streets
for what was billed as an Oyster Saloon to
benefit the New Amsterdam Market.
They sampled delicacies such as pan-
roasted oysters from renowned chef April
Bloomfield of The John Dory Bar, oys-
ters Rockefeller from Great Performances,
grilled oysters from Luke’s Lobster, wild
oysters from the deep waters of Long Island
Sound, and farmed oysters from up and
down the East Coast. They drank draught
beer and freshly brewed coffee and snacked
on moist, spicy gingerbread for dessert. The
event raised around $30,000 for the New
Amsterdam Market, a farmers’ market sell-
ing regional produce and products that is
scheduled to open for the season on May 1
with Sunday markets weekly in front of the
closed stalls of the old Fulton Fish Market.
Robert La Valva, founder of the New
Amsterdam Market, was happy with the
response to the Oyster Saloon. He said that
it showed that people knew about the New
Amsterdam Market and were eager to sup-
port it. He would like to make it a permanent
fixture in and around the historic Fulton Fish
Market buildings, where, he said, there have
been markets for centuries.
April 20 - 26, 2011
Battery Park City resident Tracey-Ann Spencer (middle) spends some quality reading
time with her son Decklan (left) and daughter Bronwyn (right).
workers and youths, Parrott said, the library
is bustling all day long. Nannies and parents
flock to the facility in the morning and leave
by lunchtime. Workers from the World
Financial Center swing by during their lunch
breaks, from 12 p.m. to 2 p.m., to borrow
a book or read a newspaper. And, from 3
But the Howard Hughes Corp., which
has a long-term lease on the South Street
Seaport from Piers 16 and 17 to Water
Street and from John Street to Beekman may
have other ideas.
When General Growth, the previous
leaseholder of the area, filed bankruptcy in
2008, it spun off 34 assets that were not
central to its operations. Shareholders of
General Growth became shareholders of the
Howard Hughes Corp., which was created
on Nov. 9, 2010 as an independent, publicly
traded real estate company with assets span-
ning 18 states from New York to Hawaii.
One of those assets was the South Street
Seaport.
According to Howard Hughes Corp.’s
Chief Executive Officer David R. Weinreb
in a letter to shareholders dated April 7,
2011, Ward Centers, a 60-acre property
in Honolulu, Hawaii, and the South Street
Seaport “represent substantial redevelop-
ment opportunities.”
Weinreb notes that “South Street Seaport
is one of the top five most visited sites in
New York City.” He goes on to say that,
“When the U.S. economy recovers, those
assets that are best located will be primed
for development.”
William A. Ackman, chairman of Howard
Hughes Corp., said that at $3.1 million —
the book value of the South Street Seaport
— the property is undervalued. “Last year,
Downtown Express photo by Aline Reynolds
p.m. to 5 p.m., teens from Stuyvesant High
School, located a few blocks north of the
library, come and hang out after their school
day is finished.
The library is the New York Public
Library’s first “green” branch in Manhattan
and is aiming for gold certification
Around 900 people attended the Oyster Saloon fundraiser for the New Amsterdam
Market, which was held on April 9 on South St. in front of the old Fulton Fish
Market.
it generated more than $5 million in cash
net operating income,” he said in a letter to
shareholders, “and this number meaning-
fully understates the future cash-generating
potential of this property as G.G.P. [General
Growth Properties] generally discontinued
granting long-term leases to tenants as it
5
in Leadership in Energy and Environmental
Design, which Parrott expects to receive in
the next year.
The lights on the facility’s second floor
dim automatically when it gets bright out-
side. Its carpeting is made of recycled truck
tires and its wood is composed of discarded
pieces of manufactured window frames.
The environmentally friendly design of
the building, Parrott said, has a particu-
larly healthy influence on the youngsters
that use the library. “The idea is to get the
kids started young… and having a space like
this shows [that] you don’t have to make
compromises from a visual and design stand-
point,” he said.
The library is celebrating Earth Day
the week of April 18 with an environmen-
tally themed session of its weekly activity,
“Picture Book Time” and a special session
called “Earth Day Craft!”
On Monday, April 18, Anne Barreca, the
children’s librarian that handles “Picture
Book Time,” read aloud “Let’s Save the
Animals,” “On Meadoview Street,” and
other environmental kids’ books to a group
of wide-eyed children, ages two to eight.
“There is more of a sense of community”
at the Battery Park City library, Barreca said,
than at the Seward Park Library, where she
formerly worked. “There are more regulars
and toddlers here. I like getting to know
Continued on page 30
Downtown Express photo by Terese Loeb Kreuzer
prepared the property for a major redevel-
opment. Even using the $5 million N.O.I.
number, one can get to values approaching
$100 million using cap rates appropriate for
New York City retail assets, and we would
Continued on page 30
6 April 20 - 26, 2011 downtown express


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x 6PDOOHULQFLVLRQ munity board.”
x *HQGHUVSHFLILFGHVLJQ is slated to open in 2014; 476 seats in a new Elizabeth Rose, director of portfolio plan-
x 6XUJLFDOLQVWUXPHQWVFXVWRPL]HGIRUHDFK Downtown elementary school tentatively sited ning at the DOE, pointed out that the
at One Peck Slip; and 307 seats in I.S. 868. Department doesn’t consider community
SDWLHQWXVLQJDGYDQFHG05,WHFKQRORJ\ “We recognize the need for seats [and] board districts to be the boundary lines that
 we’re trying to get them here as quickly as separate school zones.
we possibly can,” Bergin told the task force. Shino Tanikawa, a member of District
2IFRXUVHQRWDOOGHJHQHUDWLYHFRQGLWLRQVRIWKHNQHH The data compiled by Community Board Two’s Community Education Council,
UHTXLUHMRLQWUHSODFHPHQW3DWLHQWVZLWKRWKHUNQHH 1, “has validity just as ours has validity,” deemed the Department’s rezoning proposal
Bergin said. But while CB 1’s analysis looks “bogus.”
SUREOHPVWKDWZLOOEHQHILWIURPVXUJHU\PD\EHWUHDWHG at the total number of births in the board’s “There is no room north of Canal St. --
DUWKURVFRSLFDOO\7KHVHRSHUDWLRQVDUHSHUIRUPHGE\ district, the DOE’s analysis is based on P.S. 3 is full, and P.S. 41 has a wait list,” she
'U%U\NXVLQJDGYDQFHGGLJLWDOFDPHUDVPRQLWRUVDQG total number of births by ethnicity group said. “What they’re trying to do is fix over-
within various districts, she noted. And, crowding by rezoning, but rezoning does not
FXWWLQJHGJHPLFURVXUJLFDOWRROV6XUJHU\LVDFFRPSOLVKHG unlike CB1’s projections, which sets bound- create seats.”
WKURXJKWLQ\LQFLVLRQVOHVVWKDQPPLQOHQJWKDQG aries by the community board’s district, The task force was equally opposed
CB 1 overlaps the new subdistricts in the to the DOE’s enrollment numbers. The
SDWLHQWVFDQXVXDOO\ZDONRXWRIWKHKRVSLWDORQWKHVDPH Department’s analysis. Department, Greenleaf said, is contradicting
GD\ Task force members, however, find the itself by claiming to have enough space for
DOE’s rezoning plan to be illogical, and con- Downtown students when, at the same time,
 siders its enrollment projections unfounded. it is putting twice as many school children
)RUDQDSSRLQWPHQWZLWK'U%U\N&KDLUPDQRIWKH Eric Greenleaf, a professor at the New into Spruce St. next fall, for example, than it
'HSDUWPHQWRI2UWKRSDHGLF6XUJHU\FDOO York University Stern School who has come has capacity for.
 up with his own overcrowding data for “You’ve underprojected, not overproject-
Downtown, objects to the way that the DOE ed… I’m not clear where you see all this
2IIHULQJWKH)XOO6SHFWUXPRI2UWKRSDHGLF6HUYLFHV is splitting Lower Manhattan down the mid- space,” echoed Leonie Haimson, executive
 dle. “It makes no sense at all,” he said, “espe- director of Class Size Matters, who found
 cially given what’s happened Downtown in Bergin’s presentation difficult to understand.
 the last 10 years.” Task force members are particularly
 “9/11, if nothing else, drove the point concerned that the fate of Spruce St.’s
 home to our parents that they want their middle school might be doomed due to a

kids close to home,” echoed Paul Hovitz, co- forthcoming seat shortage. The Beekman

chair of CB 1’s youth and education commit- Tower, Spruce’s permanent home, Task force

tee. “To have youngsters sitting on a school member Tricia Joyce noted, only has eigh-

bus in traffic, and spending what could be teen available classrooms.
*ROG6WUHHW1HZ<RUN1<Ň7HOHSKRQH
learning time in a school, is unacceptable.”
ZZZGRZQWRZQKRVSLWDORUJ
The Village, Hovitz noted, “is not in our Continued on page 7
downtown express
School rezoning distresses
Continued from page 6
“With four classes per grade, by the time
[the students] are in fourth grade, they will
have filled the entire school meant as a K-to-
8,” said Joyce. “Clearly, you can see you’re
borrowing rooms from your school, and the
day will come when you fill the school well
before that school was meant to be filled.
This is not a logical approach to planning.”
Hovitz also had qualms with the DOE’s
ethnicity-based approach toward its enroll-
ment projections. “The fact that they listed
[ethnicity] as the key source as to how they
project what groups stay and go, was very,
very disconcerting to me,” he said, claiming
the method to be “borderline bigoted.”
During the task force meeting, Rose
boasted Downtown’s slim waitlists, which
she said are substantially lower this spring
— at 34 students — than around the same
time last spring — at 62 students.
The smaller waitlists, the task force mem-
bers countered, is misleading, since some of
the Downtown schools added extra sections
just to be able to take in additional students
next fall. P.S. 276 and P.S. 89, for instance,
will both have four kindergarten sections,
with capacity for only three.
“It puts pressure on our principals to
keep accommodating all these extra kids just
because they have extra elementary class-
Fighting to make
Lower Manhattan
the greatest place
to live, work, and
raise a family.
Assemblyman Shelly Silver
If you need assistance, please contact my office at
(212) 312-1420 or email silver@assembly.state.ny.us.
April 20 - 26, 2011 7
rooms right now,” said Joyce. “That’s not a
good strategy, and it’s going to be disastrous
for our schools.”
The task force also discussed the pos-
sibility of expanding the Peck Slip school
to fit more than the Department’s currently
planned count of 476 students. “If you have
space that has a greater capacity,” Silver sug-
gested, “rather than to have to find another
space that takes us years, I’d suggest we
build out to the maximum that we can.”
The Department, Rose assured, would
occupy the entirety of the Peck Slip space
that the DOE will acquire, which could pos-
sibly translate into more seats. The SCA, she
said, is proceeding with exclusive negotia-
tions with the U.S. Postal Service to finalize
the acquisition of the space.
The school is still scheduled to open in
Fall 2015.
In other news, Silver praised Mayor
Bloomberg’s choice to replace NYC Schools
Chancellor Cathie Black with Dennis
Walcott, the city’s former deputy mayor for
Education and Community Development.
“I expect a significant change in terms of
the approach and attitude to parents,” said
Silver. He said he hopes to see overcrowding
in Lower Manhattan rise “to the top of the
agenda, and that we get some real answers.”
Walcott told Silver he would attend the
Speaker’s next task force meeting, which is
scheduled for Thursday, May 19.
8 April 20 - 26, 2011 downtown express

Curtailing the tour bus invasion

Continued from page 1
Glick. “We want to ensure that this very,
very significant increase in our daily visitors
is handled in a way that’s good for people
who live here,” she said.
“The goal here is to have as many visitors in
Lower Manhattan as we can handle… without
new tour buses,” said State Senator Daniel
Squadron, adding that the City “needs to be
ahead of the curve” in planning.
The senator, along with C.B. 1 Chair Julie
Menin, stressed the importance of encour-
aging alternative transportation methods to
the W.T.C. Rather than clutter the streets and
increase air pollution around Ground Zero, the
tour buses, Menin advised, should park across
the river in New Jersey, and visitors should use
the Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) train
to get to the memorial.
The D.O.T., NYC and Company (the City’s
tourism arm) and the Downtown Alliance,
plan to offer incentive packages for tour buses
to encourage remote parking. The memorial,
meanwhile, intends to partner with bus compa-
nies and ferry operators to promote tourists’ use
of mass transit.
Public transportation use, the stakehold-
ers said, could also help nurture Downtown’s
economy, since visitors traveling via subway
or ferry would be more likely to explore the
neighborhood before or after their visit to the
memorial.
“We don’t just want them to come into the
memorial, leave, and go back to wherever they
came from,” said Silver. “We want them in the
restaurants and the shops… and to spend some
money in Lower Manhattan.”
To address the tour buses that will be shut-
tling visitors to Downtown, the stakeholders
agreed on establishing a permit system and
designating specific drop-off and pick-up
sites in the neighborhood. The D.O.T. will be
implementing the city’s first metered parking
program with maximum time limits for the
buses, and is collaborating with the 9/11
memorial to devise a timed reservation sys-
tem for its visitors.
Luis Sanchez, the D.O.T.’s Lower Manhattan
Borough Commissioner, said the Department is
considering Trinity Place and Church Street as
drop-off and pick-up locations for buses during
off-peak hours and Barclay and West Streets as
layover and parking places.
The stakeholders also asked that 100 per-
cent of the revenue derived from the tour buses
finance traffic regulation enforcement and the
upkeep of the memorial park.
“We’re opening on the memorial a park that
is larger than Bryant Park; we need to make
sure it is maintained for the five million people
who are going to come into our community,”
said Menin.
The N.Y.P.D. indicated at the stakeholders
meeting that it would be enforcing the new
parking laws, though finances for the added
services have yet to be identified. Squadron
Downtown Express photo by Aline Reynolds
NYS Assembly Speaker Sheldon Silver
(at podium) was joined by local officials
last Friday to discuss the upcoming
opening of the 9/11 Memorial.
said he hopes the stakeholders will locate some
funding sources by their next monthly meeting
on May 19.
“The process is far from finished, but
we’re certainly off to a positive start,” said
Silver. “We’ve established a basis for future
discussions on how to develop and imple-
ment an effective plan that limits the number
of buses that arrive in Lower Manhattan.”
Nearby residents, however, are skeptical
that the city will be able to mitigate the negative
impact of the large influx of tourists.
“It’s just going to be a bigger nightmare
than ever,” said Esther Regelson, who has
lived two blocks south of the W.T.C. site, on
Washington St. for nearly three decades. “We
really have become a dumping ground for [traf-
fic and tourists.]”
Regelson, a biker, said she is fed up with
the number of streets near the W.T.C. that
are blocked off for construction, and with the
amount of dust in her apartment.
“I don’t think these streets are equipped
to handle [tour buses],” she said. “We have to
encourage alternate means of transportation,
and discourage any vehicles larger than a taxi
coming through.”
Jason Perkal, who lives on Greenwich St.,
is concerned about both the bus and pedestrian
traffic the memorial’s opening will bring to the
area.
“I’m not looking forward to seeing huge
buses getting stuck on my street just because
they can’t make the turns properly, and then
standing and idling all over,” he said. Perkal
also fears noise pollution from the buses
and envisions having to squeeze through
large crowds congregating on the streets on
a daily basis.
“It’s all not pleasing,” he said. “It’s a resi-
dential neighborhood and we’re trying to keep
it that way.”

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downtown express April 20 - 26, 2011 9

Pace’s Actors Studio stages repertory season

BY TERESE LOEB KREUZER
The scripts are interesting, the acting is compelling, the
theater is well equipped and intimate, the sets, lighting and
costumes are professional, and the cost is free. This describes
the annual spring repertory season of the Actors Studio
Drama School at Pace University during which the actors,
directors and playwrights of the Master of Fine Arts graduat-
ing class show what they have learned. Each week through
May 14 brings a new set of three plays, which are staged in
Dance New Amsterdam’s theater at 53 Chambers St.
The famed Actors Studio founded in 1947, whose
members have included many of America’s finest actors and
directors, created the Actors Studio Drama School at Pace
University. The Actors Studio itself was established as a
place where professional actors could continue to hone their
skills. The Drama School, founded in 1994, was created in
order to bring the Actors Studio methods, which are based
on the work of Konstantin Stanislavksi, his disciple, Eugene
Vakhtangov and the Group Theatre, to actors, directors and
playwrights in fledgling stages of their careers.
In 2006, the Actors Studio Drama School affiliated with
Pace University to offer a three-year Master of Fine Arts
program.
“This degree gives a very deep theater education,” said
Andreas Manolikakis, chair of the Actors Studio Drama
School and a board member of the Actors Studio. All of Photo courtesy of Scott Wynn

the students train as actors, he said, “and after they leave
here, can do all kinds of different things.” They go on to
work in theater, film and television with credits that include
Broadway and off-Broadway, regional theater, long-running
television programs, big-budget Hollywood films and nation-
al commercials. Some become teachers.
The most famous recent graduate is probably Bradley
Cooper, who had to skip his graduation ceremony from the
The Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University is in the second week of its five-week MFA repertory season
during which this year’s graduating class performs plays and excerpts from plays in order to earn their degrees.
Actors Studio Drama School in 2000 to star in his first fea- Simba in “The Lion King” on Broadway. Another is a
ture film. His newest films are “The Hangover Part II” and Fulbright scholar from Ecuador. A Grammy award winner
“Limitless.” is in the class as are a woman with a chemistry degree, a
This year’s graduating class has 27 members. They have
interesting and diverse backgrounds. One played Young Continued on page 30

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10 April 20 - 26, 2011 downtown express

EDITORIAL LETTERS TO THE EDITOR

PUBLISHER & EDITOR
John W. Sutter Countdown Read Huxley Is this the best health option? From
what I’ve heard at public meetings, the
ASSOCIATE EDITOR
John Bayles getting louder To the Editor:
full-service ERs at nearby Beth Israel,
Bellevue and New York Downtown assim-
ARTS EDITOR We are only a few months away from the tenth anni- Re: “Renaming Southern Manhattan” ilated the St. Vincent’s emergency patients
Scott Stiffler versary of the terrorist attacks that changed how we live (Downtown Digest, April 13) and still have capacity.
and how we look at the world. At the granular level of SoMa? A nickname to reflect a “vibrant North Shore/LIJ has said publicly
REPORTERS our neighborhood, we now have to closely examine and and ever-changing neighborhood,” that is that it expects that 1,700 patients will
Aline Reynolds forecast how we will deal with the dynamics such as Southern Manhattan? have to be admitted to the hospital
Albert Amateau traffic, tour bus parking, and in general coping with the Perhaps a little literary enlightenment from among those who come to their
Lincoln Anderson influx of tourists and residents alike that will be flocking is in order. Back in the last century, “ER.” Where would they be taken? It
SR. V.P. OF SALES to the W.T.C. site in the coming months and the coming Aldous Huxley’s 1932 novel “Brave New certainly seems likely they’d be taken to
AND MARKETING years. World” was required reading for high the Upper East Side, where North Shore/
Francesco Regini We applaud the Dept. of Transportation for finally school studies of dystopian literature, LIJ owns the long financially strapped
including community members in their working group along with Orwell’s “1984.” Perhaps it Lenox Hill Hospital – rather far from
SR. MARKETING CONSULTANT that had been meeting monthly, and now thanks to the should be reintroduced to the curriculum, Downtown West Side communities for
Jason Sherwood
pressure applied by our community representatives, are and fast. the patients and their loved ones. With
ADVERTISING SALES meeting weekly to consider all of the above and how our In Huxley’s dystopia, the populace St. Vincent’s inpatients having been
Allison Greaker neighborhood will be affected. is encouraged to take, and is largely readily absorbed by Beth Israel, Bellevue
Michael Slagle We commend the Community Board 1 W.T.C. addicted to, a lovely little drug without and New York Downtown, the resources
Julio Tumbaco
Redevelopment Committee for unanimously passing a hangovers, without guilt, and without we need already exist right in our own
RETAIL AD MANAGER resolution to promote mass transit. Our transit system side effects that keeps everyone in line, community.
Colin Gregory is more than capable of accommodating the visitors complacent, and obedient to the pow- Downtown West residents deserve the
expected to flock to Lower Manhattan. This solution ers that be: Soma. A muscle relaxant, best health option, but your proposal
BUSINESS MANAGER / CONTROLLER needs to be heavily promoted throughout the hospitality Cardisoprodol, is also marketed as Soma. seems more like a marketing plan than
Vera Musa
industry, particularly in this early phase when the vehicle So I think SoMa is out of the running. good medicine.
ART / PRODUCTION DIRECTOR security center is not operative. Within the mass transit May I suggest CoMa (Corporate
Troy Masters system, planning needs to step on all of the issues dealing Manhattan), a nickname to help keep Jude V. Goldin
with moving more people downtown from the numerous the big financial corporations here? How
ART DIRECTOR nodes. about LoMan (Lower Manhattan) — but
Mark Hasselberger
We also commend C.B. 3’s Transportation Committee with a long A — to show solidarity with
GRAPHIC DESIGNER for passing a resolution supporting a metered parking Chinatown? My mistake
Jamie Paakkonen scenario, advanced by D.O.T., that could play a major Or maybe BatMan, to indicate our his-
role in policing the tour buses and identifying appropri- torical association with the Battery? To the Editor:
CONTRIBUTORS ate parking areas for them. We would like to see what Could TriBeCaMan offer our com- As one important part of its rezon-
Terese Loeb Kreuzer • David
areas are proposed for these metered spaces and how munity the opportunity to establish a ing plan for Hudson Square, Trinity has
Stanke • Jerry Tallmer
many buses they can handle. The N.Y.P.D. has said they new superhero franchise? Perhaps the proposed to build, at its cost, a K-5
PHOTOGRAPHERS plan to enforce the metered parking, but we wonder to proceeds from blockbuster movies could public school containing 420 seats in a
J. B. Nicholas • Milo Hess • what extent that is truly possible. Anyone can park in fund our schools and reintroduce stu- new development at Duarte Square. In
Jefferson Siegel • Terese Loeb front of a metered parking space, turn on their hazard dents to novels like “Brave New World.” response to a question from a Downtown
Kreuzer lights and when a police officer approaches them, simply Express reporter, I erroneously estimated
INTERNS move on to another space or street without incurring a Jim Hopkins that the physical size of the school would
Jhaneel Lockhart fine. These compliance problems need to be resolved. be approximately 100,000 sq.ft. The fact
Of utmost importance in terms of making sure things is, I had not concentrated on the exact
go smoothly in the face of the inevitable influx of people physical size of the space, because we were
Published by and buses is the need for the public and private sectors Wrong solution always focused on how many students we
COMMUNITY MEDIA, LLC to work together. The D.O.T., M.T.A. and other agencies could serve — which has consistently been
145 Sixth Ave., NY, NY 10013 should be coordinating with cultural institutions and To the Editor: 420 kids, enough to accommodate all the
Phone: (212) 229-1890 with the tourism industry to create maps to assist those Re: “The best health option” (editorial, grade-school-aged children generated by
Fax: (212) 229-2790 who will be traveling from all over the world to come April 13) the proposed rezoning, and then some.
On-line: www.downtownexpress.com see this memorial that has been ten years in the making. It is understandable that Villagers are The capacity of the Duarte Square
E-mail: news@downtownexpress.com Social media should be utilized, advertisements should eager for a hospital in their neighbor- school has not shrunk. The physical size
play a role and the tourism and hospitality industries hood. Who wouldn’t be, especially in an of the school has not shrunk. The only
Gay City
NEWS
TM

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Community Media LLC, 145 Sixth Ave., New
York, N.Y. 10013 (212) 229-1890. The entire
contents of the newspaper, including advertising,
are copyrighted and no part may be reproduced
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need to become part of the dialogue and solutions.
These issues will affect all of us living and working
downtown, and the millions who visit. The countdown
is getting louder.
SEND YOUR
Letter to the Editor
NEWS@DOWNTOWNEXPRESS.COM
145 SIXTH AVENUE, NYC, NY 10013
PLEASE INCLUDE YOUR PHONE NUMBER
FOR CONFIRMATION PURPOSES ONLY
emergency? However, the solution you
endorse seems worse than no solution
at all.
E.M.T.s and paramedics will be asked
to make a life-and-death judgment as to
whether a patient needs real emergency
treatment? Aren’t ambulances supposed
to get patients to where any condition —
even something the crew doesn’t have the
resources to identify — can be treated?
The proposed “emergency room” will
then have to stabilize patients the ambu-
lance crew might have been mistaken
about so they can be taken elsewhere?
How much critical time will be lost with
the stopover? If I hit my head or have
chest pains, I don’t want to be taken to
an “ER” that might say, “We can’t treat
that. Better take him to a full-service
emergency department.”
thing that has shrunk was my own origi-
nal faulty estimate of the physical size.
Carl Weisbrod
Letters policy
Downtown Express welcomes letters to
The Editor. They must include the writer’s
first and last name, a phone number for
confirmation purposes only, and any affil-
iation that relates directly to the letter’s
subject matter. Letters should be less than
300 words. Downtown Express reserves
the right to edit letters for space, clarity,
civility or libel reasons. Letters should
be e-mailed to news@DowntownExpress.
com or can be mailed to 145 Sixth Ave.,
N.Y., N.Y. 10013.
downtown express
TALKING POINT
Facebook opens a window onto a lush, lost Egypt
BY PATRICIA FIELDSTEEL
NYONS, France — Growing up, I knew my father had 21
first cousins we’d never met. This would have meant I’d also
have numerous second cousins. For reasons too complicated for
this space, anyone named Fieldsteel has to be descended from
one of the younger seven siblings and mother of my paternal
grandfather. The father and six older siblings had a different,
long-forgotten, last name. So when I joined Facebook, I began
a Fieldsteel search.
First I found Adam, a mathematician and son of Ira, the judge
who presided over the John Lennon pot trial. We exchanged
e-mails, trying to fill in the blanks. After Ira died, Adam’s mom,
a psychoanalyst, located Ira’s late brother Harold’s two adult
children. (There’d been a feud, no one knows why, and none of
the original siblings and their offspring spoke.) Adam said Laura
(Fieldsteel) Behar was a gifted artist and exceptional human
being, as was her husband Ray.
Next I found her. We began a daily correspondence more
than two years ago. We’re the same age, have much in common
and grew up 12 miles apart, never knowing of each other’s exis-
tence. Ray Behar, Laura’s husband, was born in Cairo and lived
there until he was 10, when Nasser forced the family to flee to
Paris and then Brooklyn. Ray and I and the other Behars became
FB “friends,” with an occasional note back and forth. Laura had
mentioned how much she’d enjoyed hearing her late in-laws’
recollections of Egypt. She’d talk about Ray’s family, their luxu-
riant former life and brutal forced departure with Egypt’s other
75,000 to 80,000 Jews.
Then the Egyptian “Facebook Revolution” began. I followed
it avidly and naturally thought of my cousin-in-law Ray. He
began sending me e-mails titled “Fractured Memories” about
his childhood. Like many Egyptian Jews, Ray’s family were
Sephardim, forced to flee Spain during the Inquisition. His
mother, also Sephardic, was born in Lebanon. Ray, his siblings,
father and grandparents were born in Egypt. His paternal great-
great-grandfather came from Turkey, where many expelled
Spanish Jews also settled. The family spoke French among
themselves, Arabic to the servants and knew basic biblical (syna-
gogue) Hebrew. Ray’s father spoke Italian, English, Spanish and
a little Greek as well. Ray went to the Lycée Français in Cairo
until their final year, when he attended Hebrew school. His
descriptions of his Egyptian childhood are dreamlike and lush.
“There is a reason why Egypt is called the ‘land of the eter-
nal smile,’ ” he said. “I didn’t know that growing up, but I felt
it. Egypt for me was a magical place where time stood still. I
remember waking to the sound of the call to prayer ‘Allahu
Akbar’ from the nearby mosque, and looking out of our balcony
to a clear blue sky with eagles gliding in the rising heat.”
The family lived in an apartment building that also housed
non-Egyptians from France, Greece, Italy, Great Britain and
Germany. His grandmother ran the family with an “iron fist,”
supervising the three servants, going to market and cooking.
Mornings were cool and crisp; the apartment brimming with the
aromas of toast, eggs and the Turkish coffee — “strong enough
to take the enamel off a car” — that she boiled in a copper pot.
Ray and his nanny would stroll together along the banks of
the Nile, with its immaculately tended gardens, trees and privet
mazes where he would play.
“I was also aware of the throngs of people riding the trams,
the hustle and bustle of people going to work, smoking hookahs
in the cafes and playing backgammon,” he recalled. Old Cairo
was an overflowing bazaar of nationalities and religions; exotic
spices, foods, flowers and plants; colors, patterns and sounds all
weaving an opulent tapestry with threads stretching back to one
of the most ancient, sophisticated civilizations on earth.
The family’s home cuisine — Egyptian, Spanish, Italian,
Sephardic, Turkish and Greek — reflected the richness of Egypt
before Nasser and his ilk expelled the country’s “foreign unde-
sirables.” At lunchtime, vendors with coal-filled carts prepared
grilled durra, a type of sorghum known as Egyptian corn, and ful
April 20 - 26, 2011
Egyptian boys passing the ruins of a house in a run-down section of Cairo in February shortly after Mubarak had
stepped down from Egypt’s presidency.
medames, the national dish of Egypt — slow-cooked fava beans
mashed with garlic, olive oil, lemon juice and scallions, served
with hard-boiled eggs and pickled turnips. Men with large silver
urns would pour tamarind juice, and Ray’s all-time favorite,
sugar-cane juice. Lunch and dinner could be kobeba (cracked
wheat mixed with beef); moussaka; shakshuka (eggs in tomato
sauce with yellow sheep’s milk kashaval cheese); or Ray’s favor-
ite, spaghetti with kofta. For dessert there were delicate pastries:
melt-in-your mouth ghorayebah, a butter cookie that goes back
thousands of years, or maybe loukoumades, deep-fried honey-
cinnamon dough balls. And in the background, as the family ate,
the clip-clop of horse-drawn carriages and ever-present scent of
jasmine that “sweetened everything.”
Weekends, the Behars would go to the legendary Mena
House (now a luxurious hotel) in Giza overlooking the pyra-
mids. Originally built in 1869 when the Suez Canal opened, it
was a Khedive hunting lodge, later converted to a magnificent
hotel. The Mena House catered to royalty, the international “jet
set,” writers, movie stars and world leaders, such as Roosevelt,
Montgomery, Chiang-Kai-shek, Carter, Begin and Sadat. In 1890,
it opened the first hotel swimming pool in Egypt. Ray loved to
swim there and explore while his parents were with their friends.
He would walk over to the pyramids — there were no restric-
tions then.
“There was hardly anyone there,” he recalled. “I would play
among the stones and once I climbed all the way to the top [of
the Great Pyramid of Cheops]. There was a rebar someone had
put there, and I remember holding on to it as I looked over the
horizon, feeling this incredible rush as the wind, rising along the
sides, seemed to lift me upwards.”
Summers he and his sister would spend with his aunt and
cousins at their small beach house on stilts in Alexandria.
“I had great freedom for a little guy, exploring the beaches,
rock caves and stone piers on my own,” he said. “During the
1956 [Suez Canal] War we had to paper our windows and make
sure the lights were out during air raids.”
The Behars, except for Ray’s Aunt Vicky who kept kosher,
weren’t particularly observant except for Passover and Yom
Kippur. Ray accompanied her often to the Great Synagogue of
Cairo, HaShamayim (the Heavens). Built in the 19th century,
the synagogue’s origins go back to Rabbi Moses Ben Maimon
(Maimonides), the world-renowned 12th century scholar, physi-
cian, healer and leader of the Egyptian Jewish community, which
dates back to approximately 1,800 B.C., making it the world’s
oldest outside Israel.
The climate was one of tolerance and acceptance. Jews
mingled with the other cultures, often intermarrying, and were
11
Photo by Q. Sakamaki
less isolated and more cosmopolitan than many European and
other Middle Eastern Jews who remained within their own
communities and were subject to persecution, pogroms and the
Holocaust. Egypt remained a haven.
Ray’s father was in the printing business. He learned the
trade from a German engineer who blindfolded him, making
him disassemble and reassemble the machines until he knew
them perfectly. An uncle worked for a large pharmaceutical
company, and other family members were in the cotton and
paper industries.
If there was anti-Semitism, as a child Ray wasn’t aware of
it. The family mingled freely with Arab friends, sharing holidays
and special occasions. Ray spoke, read and wrote fluent Arabic.
The hate that came later, Ray says in retrospect, was “a political
weapon used by Nasser to galvanize power.” One day his father
came home and sat in one of the living-room chairs, his hand
across his face. Ray found out later his business partner, who
was Egyptian, had forced him out of the company, seizing his
father’s share. His dad was powerless to do anything because he
was Jewish. Suddenly, he was broke.
It was 1956. All Jews with assets were forced to leave the
country overnight. Ray’s family had a little more time because
they had no money. Nasser’s government used the Sinai cam-
paign as an excuse to expel 25,000 Egyptian Jews, forcing
them to sign over all their property as a “donation” to the state.
Another 1,000 were sent to detention camps or prison. In
November, the Minister of Religious Affairs signed a proclama-
tion to be read aloud in all mosques declaring all Jews to be
enemies of the state and evil Zionists.
The process of eliminating Egypt’s 80,000 Jews that had
begun with the creation of the Jewish state in 1948 accelerated.
Jews were each permitted one suitcase with clothing and items
of no monetary value, plus a small amount of cash: Thirty-four
thousand left for Israel; the rest scattered mainly to America,
Canada, France and Brazil. Ray, his siblings and parents boarded
a Greek ship to Marseilles, taking a train to Paris, where most
of the family had fled.
“We were given a temporary home lent to us by a Jewish
woman, a kind soul, who let us live in her studio,” he told me.
“She was an artist and the studio was quite large. We eventually
moved to a hotel with two rooms [in a working-class neighbor-
hood]. What to me was a marvelous adventure was for my
parents a tragedy.”
In Paris, his dad, who had owned a company and had always
Continued on page 13
12
BY JANEL BLADOW
Crowds are back on weekends enjoying
a stroll around the neighborhood, like the
rest of us, undoubtedly looking forward
to the warmer, sunnier weather to come.
But some couldn’t wait. A mere glimpse of
sunshine and blue skies and the outdoor
tables at Acqua are filled with chilly fresh
air enthusiasts.
SPOTLIGHT… The Celebrity Apprentice
segment that taped in the Seaport aired last
week. The “box” built on Pier 17 by the guys
for Australian Gold sunscreen played well with
tourists and fans, and the Peking was prominent
in the background. But viewers really couldn’t
tell that the winning women’s team was at the
Seaport. What a shame.
SPRING SALES… Floral prints and lace
and pastels on the shelves — a sure sign
spring is in the stores. The Gap has peach
sweaters and soft scarves, Ann Taylor is cel-
ebrating the dress and the racks at Kara are
full of sexy, lacy sheer tops.
OUCH!... Kathleen Joyce, our favorite
Getting a kick out of pedestrians passing a mural
Showing that timing is everything, the photographer had fun with people passing by a mural on Prince St. in Soho last week.
April 20 - 26, 2011
S EAPORT R EPORT
female bartender at Meade’s (Peck Slip &
Water St.), was back behind the bar Monday
night wearing a “stylish” piece of footwear.
Week before last some knucklehead speared
her foot with a bar stool late one night at
Keg 229 and smashed her big toe so badly
she lost the nail. Yuck! She told SR that
even though she’s still hobbling, she’s glad
to be back. Big Foot Bootie and all. Feel
better Katie.
OUR CHORUS GIRL… Ellen McDonald
of Southbridge Towers tells SR that she’s
thrilled to be a member of the Downtown
Chorus. “I’m having a blast,” she says.
“I’ve learned how to be part of an ensemble
and get my voice to blend.” Singing with
the group has opened this retired teacher
to all kinds of new experiences, including
one only a few can say: “I never thought
I would sing in Carnegie Hall. But there I
am in the photo!” See Ellen and the rest
of the group at the Borough of Manhattan
Community College Spring concert, “Simple
Gifts.” They’ll perform Shaker-style choral
pieces by Mack Wilberg, musical director of
the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. The concert
is free, Tuesday, May 3, 7:30 pm, at BMCC
Theater II, 199 Chambers St.
WOOF AND (ALMOST) READY… After
testing by several local four-footed experts,
The East River Waterfront dog run has gone
back to the drawing board for some tweak-
ing. Seems the hills designed for dogs to
climb proved too slippery a slope. The Parks
Department has been anticipating opening
the park since January. But now build-
ers expect to have the puppy playground
between Maiden Lane and Wall St. open by
May 31. Part of the $150 million renovation
of the waterfront from Battery Park to the
Lower East Side, the run is a 4,300-square-
foot oval with a doghouse, a sculpted tree
trunk and, in warmer months, a water fea-
ture for furry fun.
FLEET FOOTED… Come out and sup-
port thousands of walkers from nearly
80 communities around the country as
they walk to raise money and awareness
about mental illness. The 5K NAMIWalks
NYC event kicks off at 10 a.m., Saturday,
May 7, on Piers 16 & 17. If you want to
downtown express
participate in the event, contact Sarah
Sheahan, ssheahan@naminyc.org.
SLURPING SUCCESS… The first South
St. Oyster Saloon fundraiser sold out well
ahead of the party last Saturday night. The
hot ticket event raised more than $25,000.
That means with the 2011 season opener on
Sunday, May 1, the weekly New Amsterdam
Market on South St. will continue through
December. Stop by South St. between Fulton
and Peck Slip and tell the vendors SR sent ya!
SMOKIN’… Cigar Landing relocated to
a new storefront last week. Stop by 150
Beekman St. for a stogie and some hot talk.
DO WE, REALLY?... Last week’s
Downtown Express detailed how entrepre-
neur Sundeep Bhan wants to “nickname”
downtown “SoMa” for Southern Manhattan.
Really? Do we really need another cutesy
slang name for the Financial District (FiDi)?
Has our need for acronyms for everything
gotten out of hand? SoMa? Really? It
sounds like a sleeping pill from a Woody
Allen movie.
Photo by Milo Hess
downtown express April 20 - 26, 2011 13

Facebook and Egypt

Continued from page 11
had servants, became a mechanic working only
for tips. His mother, “who had never washed
her own hair, cooked a meal or taken care of
her children without help, was suddenly in a
cramped space and trying to learn how to take
care of herself and her children at the age of 37.
There was only a toilet and sink at our hotel; we
had to shower in a public place. This was humili-
ating for my parents and sister. My mother was
ashamed we were on Jewish relief and made me
go for the checks. She started to work, making
dresses for people who used to be her friends.”
His older sister should have been preparing
to enter college but had to work to help the
family instead. Ray’s younger brother didn’t
have sufficient food and nutrition and remained
tiny until the family had settled in America.
Ray continued at the Lycée Français in Paris.
His favorite pastime was to take the métro for
several stops and “pop up from underground
to discover a new world.” He also began to
understand anti-Semitism. There was another
Jewish family in their hotel, and the mother, a
concentration camp survivor, was very secre-
tive about her Jewishness. He often played at
the home of a school friend, not knowing he,
too, was Jewish. One day when they were look-
ing for his dad’s stamp collection, Ray saw a
mezuzah hidden in a drawer.
After a year and a half, American visas
came through. They landed in Brooklyn and
stayed with relatives until his dad found a job.
They rented the top floor of a two-family
house in a mixed neighborhood. Ray felt right
at home, even though he didn’t speak a word of
English. Between TV, comics, cereal boxes and
the need to fit in, he picked it up quickly. His
dad’s job and ability with languages led him to
travel the world troubleshooting and teaching
engineers to assemble the enormous printing
machines his company made. He returned to
Egypt once after 20 years absence, but what he
saw left him sad and disappointed. Ray has no
desire to return.
“I have such beautiful memories of Egypt
that I don’t want to disturb that part of me,”
he explained.
Today the world, even Obama, seems to
have forgotten the Jews of Egypt, despite an out-
cry against the persecution of Coptic Christians.
Holy Week
There are fewer than 50 Jews left; all are elderly.
Soon there will be none. Egypt less than flour-
& Easter
ished under Nasser and Mubarak. Any society trinity church
that expels, represses or tries to exterminate
groups of people because of their gender, reli-
st. paul’s chapel
gion, race, sexuality, ethnic or national origins
has to suffer: Those very same “undesirables” of
the moment are also any country’s present and
future, its talent and richness. Egypt overthrew
Mubarak, a miracle in itself, but like the Jews tenebrae easter eve
wandering in the desert for 40 years before they wednesday, april 20 saturday, april 23
reached the Promised Land, Egypt has a long
way to go. Trinity Church, 6pm The Great Vigil of Easter
with Holy Baptism
maundy thursday St. Paul’s Chapel, 8pm
thursday, april 21
Holy Eucharist easter day
Trinity Church, 6pm
sunday, april 24
Festive Eucharist
All-Night Vigil Before St. Paul’s Chapel, 8am and 10am
the Blessed Sacrament Trinity Church, 9am and 11:15am
All Saints’ Chapel in Trinity Church
Thursday, April 21, 8pm to Easter Fun Fest
Friday, April 22, Noon Trinity churchyard, 12:30-3pm
Easter egg and scavenger hunts,
good friday a visit from the Easter bunny, and
lots of other family fun. Free and
friday, april 22 all are welcome.
Liturgy of Good Friday
and Veneration of the Cross Compline
Trinity Church, Noon-3pm St. Paul’s Chapel, 8pm

A Liturgy of Good Friday

for Children and Families Watch live webcast at trinitywallstreet.org

Trinity Church, 4:30pm

trinity church
Broadway at Wall Street

st. paul’s chapel

Broadway and Fulton Street

trinitywallstreet.org | 212.602.0800

Image detail: Enclosed Field With Rising Sun in Saint-Remy, Vincent van Gogh, 1889 · Getty Images
14
BY TERESE LOEB KREUZER
CHERRY TREES: Every year, around
the second week in April, Battery Park City’s
cherry trees on the oval lawn south of 2
World Financial Center burst into bloom.
The canopy of white blossoms seems to cast
a spell: people sit quietly on park benches,
taking in the spectacle, mothers hold their
toddlers aloft to get closer to the blooms,
lovers lie close to each other on the lawn,
strewn with petals.
These trees are the Yoshino species
(Prunus yedoensis), according to James
Morrisey, general manager of the World
Financial Center complex, which is owned
by Brookfield Properties. He said the trees
are around 24 to 26 years old, and will
decline after 30 to 35 years. Trees of this
kind “rarely remain healthy for more than
40 years,” he said.
He said that when the time comes,
Brookfield would replace the trees with
mature specimens that would approximate
the current luxuriant display.
Yoshino cherry trees are hybrids that
occur naturally in Japan and have been
exported to many parts of the world. They
were introduced to Europe and the United
States in 1902. Most of the trees surround-
ing the Tidal Basin in Washington, D.C. are
Yoshino cherries, a gift to the United States
from Japan. The first Tidal Basin trees were
planted a century ago; additional trees have
been planted in Washington since then, most
recently between 1986 and 1988.
Washington, D.C.’s famed Cherry
Blossom Festival is over for this year, but
Battery Park’s City’s cherry tree display
should last a little longer, depending on the
wind and weather.
The trees will have finished their bloom-
ing by April 30 when the Battery Park
City Community Network is sponsoring a
benefit at SouthWest NY to raise money
for charitable aid to Japan. The event will
take place between 8 p.m. and 11 p.m. on
SouthWest NY’s outdoor dining area, at 2
World Financial Center, facing North Cove
Marina. A $20 admission fee will cover food
and a donation. Margaritas will be half price.
Additional money will be raised via a raffle.
The Battery Park City Community
Network comprises Battery Park City Cares,
the Community Emergency Response Team
(C.E.R.T.) and its affiliate, Animal Search
and Rescue, TimeBank, the Gateway Tenants
April 20 - 26, 2011 downtown express
Association, the B.P.C. Dog Association,
B.P.C. Seniors, the TriBattery Pops and the
P.T.A. from P.S./I.S. 276.
BATTERY PARK CITY PARKS
CONSERVANCY PROGRAMS: From May
1 to the end of October, the Battery Park Downtown Express photos by Terese Loeb Kreuzer
City Parks Conservancy offers programs for Battery Park City’s cherry trees have been blooming every April for more than two
people of all ages, most of them free. There decades on the periphery of the oval lawn at the World Financial Center.
will be art classes, sports, story telling, fish-
ing bird watching, concerts, garden tours, bacon and Parmesan cheese ($16) and miso says he met Mike around seven years ago
community dances and more, all taking broiled salmon with wasabi mashed pota- at a food show and liked both the man and
place in Battery Park City’s beautiful parks toes and baby bok choy ($18.25). Mahi his pies. Merchants River House is on the
and gardens. However, a few of the B.P.C. mahi tamales are new at SouthWest NY. Battery Park City esplanade between Albany
Parks Conservancy’s programs do require They’re made with brown rice, ginger, cilan- and Liberty Streets and SouthWest NY is
pre-registration and incur a fee. Here’s a tro and coconut milk wrapped in a banana at 2 World Financial Center. Both are open
brief rundown on the fee-based programs leaf and steamed ($20). The new dessert daily and both deliver. For more informa-
for young people: at Merchants River House is a chocolate tion, go to www.merchantsriverhouse.com
Green Adventure is for students enter- mousse pie ($5.25) made by Mike Martin, and to www.southwestny.com.
ing sixth to eighth grades who are inter- who opened Mike’s Pies in Tampa, Fla. after
ested in nature and environmental stew- he finished playing football for the Bears To comment on Battery Park City Beat or
ardship. The group visits parks, gardens, and the Patriots. Wade Burch, executive chef to suggest article ideas, email TereseLoeb@
organic farms and farmers’ markets and for the Merchants Hospitality restaurants, mac.com
fishes, sails and rows under the leader-
ship of Ellen McCarthy, the former chil-
dren’s garden manager at the New York
Botanical Garden. Mon.-Fri., July 11-July
29; 10 a.m.-2 p.m. $575. Gardening Club
for children in first through fifth grades.
Ellen McCarthy and Doug van Horn teach
gardening skills in the Children’s Garden
in Rockefeller Park. Tuesdays from May
3 to Oct. 25; 4 p.m.-5 p.m. $80 per two-
month cycle. Explorers’ Club is for first,
second and third graders, who learn about
plants, animals and the environment as
they explore B.P.C.’s parks with Doug van
Horn. Mondays, May 2 to June 20 (except
May 30); 3:30 p.m. to 5 p.m. $84. For
more information about these programs or
to register, call (212) 267-9700, ext. 348
or visit the B.P.C. Conservancy office at 75
Battery Place.
SPRING AND SUMMER MENUS:
Spring in Battery Park City is marked not
just by a profusion of flowers but by menu
changes at Merchants River House, which
has two outdoor plazas overlooking the
Hudson River and at SouthWest NY, with
seating under a shady canopy of London
plane trees facing North Cove Marina. Both
are favorite places to enjoy warm spring
and summer evenings. At Merchants River
House, look for chicken Alfredo pasta, made Cavatapi Chicken Alfredo Pasta with portabella mushrooms, grilled chicken, peas,
with cavatapi (corkscrew-shaped pasta), bacon and Parmesan cheese is on the spring/summer menu at Merchants River
portabella mushrooms, grilled chicken, peas, House.
downtown express April 20 - 26, 2011 15

Tribeca Film Festival: A Decade of Downtown Film

P. 16 P. 17 P. 20
16 April 20 - 26, 2011 downtown express

On screen and in the streets, TFF focuses on the family

Tribeca Film Institute nurtures young filmmakers
BY STEPHANIE BUHMANN
This year’s Tribeca Film Festival dedi-
cates much energy to family entertainment,
films focusing on family concerns and forums
for teenage filmmakers. Events range from one
of New York’s largest and most unique street
festivals to screenings of independent films
exploring complex family matters. Crucial
space has also been allotted to projects by local
students — whose efforts have been supported
by the Tribeca Film Institute (www.tribecafilm-
institute.org).
Founded by Robert De Niro, Jane Rosenthal
and Craig Hatkoff, TFI empowers profession-
al filmmakers through grants, and its education-
al programming enables underserved New York
City public middle and high school students to
express themselves in film. Since its launching
in 2006, the Institute’s education program has
grown from serving 30 to 12,000 students —
providing them with the opportunity to create
their own documentaries based on the theme
of change and progress. Each year, the Institute
selects 20 teenagers, who receive an all-access
look at the film industry through a series
of workshops, creative filmmaking exercises,
screenings, panels and mentoring by Tribeca
Film Festival film directors.
Students create short films that tackle
local concerns. The results are screened as
part of the TFF’s annual “Our City, My Story”
event — which celebrates the vision, excel-
lence and diversity of New York City youth-
made media. When asked about how last
year’s participation in “Our City, My Story”
affected them, José Velez (“Little Dominica
NYC”) said, “It changed my life complete-
ly,” and Ashley Turizo (“The Image of My
Perception”) stated, “It has definitely had a
great impact. It opened up my eyes to all the
possibilities of my future — I do want to con-
tinue my career in filmmaking, and it is just a
great experience. I never thought I would be
chosen to show my film at the Tribeca Film
Festival. The experience speaks for itself! It
made me want to continue to create films.”
In “Violence in the Lower East Side”
(by Cecilia Bonilla, David Evans, Aaron
Farooqi, Samantha King, Kiralie Mogollon,
Tristan Reginato and Jeremy Santana), for
The TFF narrative film, “Janie Jones” (one
of 93 features) sheds light on family dynam-
ics and psychology. A talented but strug-
gling musician learns that he has a 13-year-
old daughter. Instantly, his rock-and-roll life-
style (which in part involves a much younger
girlfriend) is turned upside down and then
around. The daughter, Janie, turns out to
be an aspiring musician herself — and they
bond on a road trip during which both father
and daughter grow as artists.
The feature documentary “The Wild and
Wonderful Whites of West Virginia” describes
the sobering reality of the White family of
I do want to continue my
career in filmmaking, and
it is just a great experience.
I never thought I would
be chosen to show my
film at the Tribeca Film
Festival. It made me want
to continue to create films.
— Ashley Turizo (director,
“The Image of My Perception”)
Boone County, West Virginia. Far from a tradi-
tional family unit, the Whites are as legendary
for their criminal ways as they are for their
most famous member, Jesco White, star of the
documentary “Dancing Outlaw.” Staying true
to the spirit of executive producers Johnny
Knoxville and Jeff Tremaine (of TV’s infamous
“Jackass”), the film is a shocking, highly eccen-
tric, humorous and sometimes moving account
of a year in the Whites’ life. Shoot-outs, rob-
beries, gas huffing, drug dealing and consum- Photo courtesy of the Tribeca Film Institute

example, the audience encounters Bonilla’s
conflicted view of her neighborhood and life
in general — which has been shaped by the
acts of violence she has witnessed in her envi-
ronment. The documentary “Growing Food
Justice in Brooklyn” (by Stevenson Catul,
Christian Filus, Alfonso Francois Gonzalez,
Jerry Joseph and Luishka Roberts), makes a
case for the necessary creation of new healthy
food options in some Brooklyn communities,
where obesity rates are high and fast food pre-
dominates. In a film that could serve as an
interesting companion piece to the acclaimed
“Waiting for Superman,” “Isa’s Final Draft”
(by Jesus Villalba, Kadiatou Diallo, Nataly
Garzon and Rayhan Islam), follows the path
of Isabella — a promising student who dreams
of attending college. When her guidance coun-
selor discovers that she is an undocumented
resident, Isabella and her family are forced
to face unimaginable challenges.
ing (and especially tap-dancing) are only some
of the everyday activities at hand. This film
provides a fascinating portrait of a family
existing on the other side of the law, while
addressing some of the corruption, poverty,
and environmental devastation found in the
coal mining culture of West Virginia.
For the first time, the TFF will
debut NYFEST, on April 23. The city’s first
Film and Entertainment Soccer Tournament
will allow New York youth to interact with
celebrities and industry professionals from the
worlds of film, music, sports and entertain-
ment. Soccer legend Pelé will kick off the
game with a coin toss. For info, visit www.
nyfest.org.
On April 30, the Tribeca Family Festival
Street Fair puts on “the ultimate street fair
and family celebration” by showcasing a vari-
ety of activities and performances (10am-
6pm, Greenwich Street from Hubert to
Ashley Turizo (The Image of My Perception).
Chambers Streets). In contrast to last year,
when road repairs forced organizers to modify
the overall set up last, this edition will truly be
back on the street.
The Street Fair is produced by Peter
Downing — whose time spent on Broadway as
an actor and stage manager has allowed him to,
as he acknowledges, “build relationships over
the years with theatrical press and marketing
reps who recognize the great opportunity that
the Family Festival provides for exposure and
promotion for family-friendly shows.”
This year, stages will highlight special seg-
ments from Broadway shows and emerging
talents from the neighborhood. The New
York Philharmonic’s Credit Suisse Very Young
Composers will present original works cre-
ated by young musicians. Popular family-
friendly bands will also perform (includ-
ing The Fuzzy Lemons and Hot Peas N’
Butter). Local restaurants and merchants will
offer samples of their fare, ranging from gour-
met treats to simple refreshments.
As the Festival also serves as a fundrais-
er, various local schools will organize activi-
ties, such as Taekwondo lessons or hairspray
painting, to help the cause. “This Festival was
founded as a response to the tragic events of
9/11,” explained Downing. “The key to the
mission of our founders was to support the
local community and help drive people back
Downtown. Nothing serves this objective bet-
ter than to offer free public events in and for
the neighborhood.”
For more info on family-friendly films,
events and activities, visit www.tribecafilm.
com.
downtown express April 20 - 26, 2011 17

Early reviews, final verdicts: Troll, trip, terrorists

Three out of three ain’t bad
TROLLHUNTER
Written & Directed by André Ovredal.
103 minutes.
In Norwegian, with English subtitles.

Tues., Apr. 26, 11:30pm at AMC Loews

Village 7 (66 Third Ave. at 11th St.).
Thurs., Apr. 28, 9pm & Sat., Apr. 30,
11:59pm at Clearview Cinemas Chelsea
(260 W. 23rd St., btw. 7th & 8th Aves).
For tickets ($16 evenings/weekends;
$8 matinees), purchase at the Box Office
or call 646-502-5296 or visit www.tribe-
cafilm.com.

REVIEW BY BONNIE ROSENSTOCK

The final credits of “Trollhunter”
announce, “No trolls were harmed during
the making of this movie.” By the end of
this fanciful mockumentary, I was ready
to believe in their existence. Norwegians,
with troll folklore part of their DNA,
were in on the joke from the beginning.
For those on this side of the pond, whose
only experience with the critters involves
the garden-variety lawn statues and elec-
tric socket-haired big-eyed rubber baby
gnomes (both scary in their own right),
the movie is fun as adventure — with a
bit of stalking and slaying combined with
lovely landscape.
The story begins with reports of strange
goings on in the mountains and forests of
Norway. A trio of local students from
Volda College decide to investigate for
their school project. With serious doubts
that a bear did the damage (as the Wildlife
Board claims), they doggedly pursue a
poacher named Hans. In their first foray
into the woods, they find a massive, lum-
bering three-headed “Tosserlad” — which
Hans turns into stone with the flash of
a bright light. Other troll facts: They
explode in sunlight due to their lack of
Vitamin D and have the ability to smell
the blood of practicing Christians.
From then on, it’s Road Trip of Trolling
for Trolls (many kinds) — with Hans,
now revealed as the head of Norway’s
TSS (Troll Security Service), and the
three eager students recording the entire
gory venture. Hans, who has an impres-
sive scar running down his left cheek, is a
Norwegian in the finest Western cowboy
anti-hero tradition. He is an outsider and
loner — a man of few words and swift
action who plays country and western
music in his RV. He is burnt out and fed
up with all the duplicity and bureaucracy
(filling out an extensive “Slayed Troll
Form,” for example), which is why he is
ready to tell all.
While the opening scene is shaky, à la
“The Blair Witch Project,” the movie quick-
ly transforms into smooth, professional
handheld camerawork, as seen through
the lens of the ill-fated Kalle (remember
that Christian thing?). With this engag-
ing tongue-in-cheek tale, Ovredal, one
of Norway’s most successful directors of
Three students earn college credit the hard (and deadly) way, in “Trollhunter.”
commercials, is making his feature film
debut. He wisely cast three well-known
Norwegian comedians — Jespersen, Hans
Morten Hansen (as Finn, the govern-
ment’s director of the TSS) and Robert
Stoltenberg (as a doltish Polish thief
who delivers Russian bears to the crime
scenes) — and three relative newcom-
ers, who all expertly improvise the entire
film with deadpan seriousness and droll
(troll?) humor. The gigantic, repulsive
trolls, playing themselves, were convinc-
ingly constructed digitally.
As the trollhunter says, “Fairy tales
don’t always match reality.” Oh, my.
THE TRIP
Directed by Michael Winterbottom.
100 minutes.
Not rated.
Screening: Thurs., April 21, 6pm at
Clearview Cinemas Chelsea. Sat., April
23, 12pm, at AMC Loews Village-7. Tues.,
April 26, 6pm and Sat., April 30, 1:30pm
at Clearview Cinemas Chelsea.
For tickets ($16 evenings/weekends; $8
matinees), purchase at the Box Office or call
646-502-5296 or visit www.tribecafilm.com.
REVIEW BY RANIA RICHARDSON
Michael Winterbottom’s uproarious
British highbrow comedy “The Trip”
follows comics Steve Coogan and Rob
Elite dining and literary
references inform the
humor in the six-episode
British television series
that has been edited into
a feature film.
Brydon on a culinary tour of northern
England. Elite dining and literary refer-
ences inform the humor in the six-episode
British television series that has been edit-
ed into a feature film. The two men play
semi-fictionalized versions of themselves
in a continuation of their performances
in Winterbottom’s “Tristram Shandy: A
Cock and Bull Story” (2005) — where
they joked, bickered and jockeyed for
Photo courtesy of the Tribeca Film Festival
superiority.
In “The Trip,” Coogan plays a pomp-
ous movie actor who accepts a newspaper
assignment to review a few fancy restau-
rants that serve (sometimes bizarre) cut-
ting-edge cuisine. His hope is to impress
his American girlfriend with a paid vaca-
tion dining in the beautiful English coun-
tryside. When she dumps him, he recruits
his friend, Rob Brydon (a happily mar-
ried television personality), to journey
from one Bed and Breakfast to the next,
critiquing the gourmet eateries along
the way. The two embark on a midlife
male bonding road trip, like “Sideways”
on English Lit. They eat, drink, discuss
movies, music, Lord Byron and his ilk
— but their mission is to outdo each
other with over-the-top impressions of
Michael Caine, Woody Allen, Michael
Sheen and many others. Along the way,
each man defends his lifestyle — Coogan
as a self-involved womanizer with lofty
career aspirations, and Brydon as a warm-
hearted and stable family man.
I have to admit that because I’m not
familiar with Coogan and Brydon’s televi-
sion work, and because “The Trip” is an
English production, I probably missed
Continued on page 18
18
Reviews: Troll, trip, terrorists
Continued from page 17
some of the country-specific humor and
references. But it didn’t matter. I was
doubled over laughing the entire time.
THE ASSAULT (L’ASSAUT)
Screenplay by Simon Moutaïrou
Directed by Julien Leclercq.
95 minutes.
In French and some Arabic, with English
subtitles.
Thurs., Apr. 21, 9pm & Sat., Apr. 23,
10pm at Clearview Cinemas Chelsea (260
W. 23rd St., btw. 7th & 8th Aves). Sun., Apr.
24, 8:30pm & Thurs., Apr. 28, 3om at AMC
Loews Village 7 (66 Third Ave. at 11th St.).
For tickets ($16 evenings/weekends; $8
matinees), purchase at the Box Office or call
646-502-5296 or visit www.tribecafilm.com.
REVIEW BY BONNIE ROSENSTOCK
With the Middle East and North Africa in
turmoil — and the tenth anniversary of 9/11
looming — this harrowing retelling of the
1994 hijacking of an Air France airplane in
Algiers, is timely (and was prescient).
On Christmas Eve of that year, four Islamic
fundamentalists, members of the GIA (Armed
Islamic Group) boarded the Paris-bound plane
with 227 passengers on board, and demanded
the release of two of their jailed comrades.
They also wanted the pilots to fly the plane to
Paris. But to what end?
The hijacking and suicide
mission in “The Assault”
was meant as payback for
the West’s support of the
military-backed president.
Algeria is a vague geographical blip in the
States. An essential introduction to its history
would be Gillo Pontecorvo’s seminal “Battle
of Algiers” (1966), a brilliantly reconstructed
account of urban guerilla events during the
brutal war of independence against French
rule (1954-62). While documentary in style,
no archival stock was used.
Since independence, the beleaguered North
African country, nestled between Morocco
and Libya, has been ruled by a series of des-
pots. (I traveled through the country’s back-
water villages and the Sahara in a nine-seat
van in spring 1986 during a time of relative
quiet — except for Ronald Reagan’s bombing
of nearby Tripoli.) A devastating civil war in
1992 — when the Algerian army cancelled
an election that the Islamist party was win-
ning — lasted until 1998 (although clashes
are ongoing). The hijacking and suicide mis-
sion in “The Assault” was meant as payback
April 20 - 26, 2011 downtown express
Photo courtesy of the Tribeca Film Festival
“The Assault” director Julien Leclercq.
for the West’s support of the military-backed
president.
Director Julien Leclercq explains that his
narrative is “liberally inspired” by the three-
day hostage standoff. The dramatic rescue in
Marseilles, where the plane landed to refuel,
was broadcast live on TV and viewed by over
21 million people — and the filmmaker makes
use of the chilling you-are-there footage.
The action shifts seamlessly back and forth
from each group of major players. Inside the
airplane, filmed with tight, claustrophobic
shots, the increasingly desperate and out of
control leader (Aymen Saidi) rants, threatens,
praises Allah and kills three hostages. As the
French ministers in Paris rationally discuss
alternatives like ransom money, rescue and
body count, a convoy truck is offloaded with
30 empty wooden coffins (the estimated body
count from a rescue attempt). The precision
training of the GIGN (National Gendarmerie
Intervention Group), France’s special ops and
counter-terrorism and hostage rescue unit, is
especially gripping. Thierry (Vincent Elbaz,
with his expressive, world-weary eyes), a tough
unit member, comes to represent and human-
ize this well-oiled killing machine. He is por-
trayed as a loving husband and father, despite
his deadly and deadening profession. His
wife’s emotional rollercoaster embodies the
fear that gripped the nation.
I toast this well-crafted edge-of-the-seat
saga with a bottle of French wine. Santé.
Spoiler Alert: It wasn’t known until after
the rescue that the hijackers had a cache of
explosives aboard — they told passengers
they were planning to crash the plane into
the Eiffel Tower. While they did not succeed,
a few months later, terrorists did bomb a
Paris metro station. Photo courtesy of the Tribeca Film Festival
Two Brits go for an extended taste test, in “The Trip.” See page 17.
Continued on page 22
downtown express
Online, bringing the TFF experience to wider audiences
Free screenings — but with limited (cyber) seating
BY RANIA RICHARDSON
This year, everything is free at the newly
named Tribeca Online Film Festival, where
you can follow the 2011 Tribeca Film Festival
from the comfort of home. Jon Patricof, chief
operating officer of the festival, spearheaded
the multi-faceted digital strategy. The initia-
tive includes online streaming of films, web
access to events, Q&As with key players, an
industry blog and live social media updates by
filmmakers.
Easily located on the main website, the
There is a limit
of 500 attendees per
online screening
to control the release
of these films, which are
available to be acquired
commercially. Tribeca
is just the exhibitor, not
the distributor here, said
Patricof.
Festival Streaming Room presents six features
and nine shorts from the official film lineup.
Viewers can register to “reserve a seat” for one
of the 24-hour online screening windows that
commence with the first live theater screen-
ing.
“I’m excited about ‘Donor Unknown’
because it’s about technology and how the web
allows families to connect,” Patricof said, in a
discussion of the films available for streaming.
Directed by Jerry Rothwell, the documentary
explores the definition of family as it follows
a young woman conceived in the first genera-
tion of “test-tube babies” who searches for her
siblings and prolific sperm donor father.
A stand-out short on the streaming list is
“The Dungeon Master,” written and directed
by brothers Rider and Shiloh Strong, who
are recognizable from their many television
acting credits. The film takes on Dungeons
& Dragons, a game often favored by geeky
obsessives, in a tale of friends revisiting the
role-playing pastime of their youth.
There is a limit of 500 attendees per online
screening to control the release of these films,
which are available to be acquired commer-
cially. Tribeca is just the exhibitor, not the
distributor here, said Patricof. Audience mem-
bers can vote for the best online feature, which
will be awarded $25,000, and the best online
short, which will receive $5,000. Statistics
on audience size and viewing trends will be
shared with the filmmakers.
Tribeca’s chief creative officer, Geoff
Gilmore, launched last year’s pilot online
April 20 - 26, 2011 19
effort, Tribeca Film Festival Virtual, which was it hard?” he asked her, and made modifi- has made four selections from the official
cost $45 for an entry pass. “We’re still in the cations accordingly. festival lineup available nationwide via televi-
experimental phase of this new frontier,” said As an adjunct to the online festival, sion and web on-demand services, from the
Patricof. “I’m focused, along with Geoff, to start of the festival on April 20. According
continue to innovate and make this as strong to Patricof, filmmakers received a “minimum
a platform as it can be. This is how festivals guarantee” or advance from Tribeca Film,
are evolving now, to gain broader audiences. I The Tribeca Online which acquired all rights. The cost to watch
hope we get it close to right.” a film on-demand is determined by the price
Like last year, a Live From… section allows Film Festival website structure of the platform, such as cable VOD,
web viewers inside invitation-only and ticketed Netflix Watch Instantly and iTunes, he said.
events. On tap are opening night festivities, is so visually striking, On Time Warner Cable in Manhattan, the
red carpet premieres, panel discussions and films are available on channel 1000.
the awards show. the designer deserves One highlight in the group is “The Bang
Similar to the “Quora” or “Yahoo! Bang Club,” a drama based on the true story
Answers” models, Tribeca Q&A offers online applause. Patricof used of four risk-taking photojournalists in South
visitors the opportunity to ask questions to Africa — starring Ryan Phillippe and Taylor
a selection of filmmakers and festival brass. his mother’s experience Kitsch — who capture the turmoil in the
According to Patricof, “Some respond in real final days of apartheid from 1990-1994. The
time, others in 24 hours, still others respond to gauge its navigability. Canadian-South African co-production is writ-
in one swoop.” Gilmore and festival juror ten and directed by Steven Silver, based on the
Whoopi Goldberg have answered queries via “Was it easy or was it memoir of two of the photojournalists.
video clip. Another pick is “Last Night,” a U.S. produc-
Writer/directors Rider and Shiloh Strong hard?” he asked her, tion directed by Iranian-born Massy Tadjedin
have responded to a number of questions, that stars Keira Knightley, Sam Worthington
such as “Is writing/directing/photography and made modifications and Eva Mendes, in a New York story about
full-time jobs for each of you? Do you do marriage and sexual temptation. As part of the
other things to make ends meet between proj- accordingly. distribution plan, films in this program will
ects?” Shiloh answered, “Full-time job for screen in theaters across the country after the
me is the endless mission to get a job in act- film festival. Beginning in June, Tribeca Film
ing/writing/directing or photography. I guess Tribeca Film, the comprehensive distribution will begin releasing films year-round, concur-
my ‘day job’ is photography. I get some gigs label under the Tribeca Enterprises umbrella, rently in theaters and on-demand.
shooting events, or portraits at my studio here
and there. I also assist and digital tech (work
the computer) on some high-end commercial
photography jobs to pay the bills. Somehow
it seems to work itself out every month, but I
never know what is coming next. The life of
the freelancer.”
A customized page on Filmmaker Feed
lets directors promote their work with state-
ments, bios, links, videos, and Facebook and
Twitter updates. In addition to social media
feeds, European-born David Dusa, direc-
tor of “Flowers of Evil,” included a link to
his YouTube channel and to the Sciapode
production company — founded in 2003
to produce European films — as well as an
embedded trailer for his film, in which a
young girl moves to Paris from Tehran during
political unrest.
There is a notably high ratio of blogger
responses to comments left on entries in
the Future of Film blog (written by experts
in film, media and technology). Topping the
list of comments is “Movie Theaters Should
Think Like Netflix” — a plan of action to
save the movie-going experience by digital
media consultant Chris Dorr. He asks, “What
if we could create a new model for going
to the movies at your local theater that is
as consumer-friendly as Netflix? Could this
dramatically increase attendance?” More than
80 comments to date have been followed by
quick responses by Dorr. Among the other
bloggers are Peter Guber, CEO of Mandalay
Entertainment, and Brad Wechsler, Chairman
of IMAX.
The Tribeca Online Film Festival website
is so visually striking, the designer deserves
applause. Patricof used his mother’s experi-
ence to gauge its navigability. “Was it easy or
20
Crafting a ‘more concise and approachable’ festival
As digital reach expands, a vow to retain brick and mortar appeal
BY ALINE REYNOLDS
Originally designed to revive a neighbor-
hood traumatized by 9/11, the Tribeca Film
Festival has become a global phenomenon
that draws film lovers from around the
world — and now reaches countless others
on the web.
Founded in 2002, the festival started out
as a five-day local affair with less than 150
screenings. “It was just a celebration to get
people down here, and to bring new life
[to Downtown],” said Genna Terranova (a
senior programmer who joined the curato-
rial team in 2008).
“People didn’t know what Tribeca was
about,” recalled David Kwok, the festival’s
director of programming and one of its origi-
nal full-time staff members. “[The festival]
is something that, through a lot of relation-
ships and just general growth and exposure,
began gaining its own reputation.”
The festival’s future, Kwok
explained, is unpredictable,
since it is inextricably tied
to technological advances.
“Who knows what’ll
happen in two years — not
just in terms of us, but in
terms of how we’ll watch
movies,” he said.
In its 10th season, the festival will pres-
ent more than 500 screenings of feature
films, documentaries and shorts. Last year,
the festival stretched its tentacles into the
digital realm by introducing a selection of
films to cable and Internet viewers who can’t
attend a live screening or who simply prefer
watching movies at home.
But will the festival’s manifold expan-
sions spoil the local, neighborhood vibe it
once championed? Has the initial aim of
helping out a shattered community been
forgotten?
“The community is first and foremost one
of the most important things of the festival,”
said Terranova. “As you grow, there are other
aspects that are important. But [9/11] is still
a part of who we are. I don’t think that’ll ever
change.” In an effort to serve Downtown
residents, Terranova and her team are kick-
starting the 10th season with a free public
screening, at the World Financial Center, of
Cameron Crowe’s documentary “The Union”
— about the collaboration of legendary musi-
cians Elton John and Leon Russell in produc-
ing the 2010 album of that name.
April 20 - 26, 2011
TFF programmer David Kwok: Ready to roll with the unpredictable punches of brick
and mortal festivals in an increasingly digital age.
“It’s a good way for us to kind of come
back in our 10th year and remind everybody
that this is where we started,” said Kwok.
In order to streamline the line-up, the
programmers decided to consolidate the
films into fewer sections this year, accord-
ing to type — Spotlight, Viewpoints,
World Documentary Feature Competition,
World Narrative Feature Competition and
Cinemania. “We really want to celebrate the
films and filmmaking and didn’t want to put
[as many] lines between them,” explained
Kwok.
The festival booklet was significantly pared
down in 2008, when the curators slashed the
title count from nearly 200 to less than 100
movies in an effort to make the program
more manageable for both the staff and the
viewers. “I think it makes the program more
concise and approachable,” said Terranova.
But it makes the programmers’ job more chal-
lenging, forcing the team to be more selective
when judging the more-than 5,600 submis-
sions this year in just six months.
“The program has to be molded in such
a way that we’re picking the strongest mov-
ies possible available to us at this time.
It’s tough to make those decisions,” said
Terranova, acknowledging — and perhaps
comforted by – the imperfect nature of the
task. “Sometimes, you miss things. It’s part
Photo courtesy of the Tribeca Film Festival
of human nature,” she said.
Terranova was previously a film buyer
for The Weinstein Company and Miramax.
“As a programmer, you have to use more of
a fine-tooth comb in the process — you have
first eyes on it, and no one already validated
it for you,” she said of her new position.
Curating the festival, she added, has refined
her palette and deepened her appreciation of
global cinema.
The programmers don’t have a set agenda
when choosing the films for the festival
— rather, they notice recurring themes fol-
lowing the decisions. This year, the team
discovered that many of the movies are
about subordinates contending with insti-
tutions (“Semper Fi: Always Faithful”
recounts individual marines’ struggle for
justice against the Marine Corps; and “Black
Butterflies” tells the story of South African
poet Ingrid Jonker, who bravely protests
against Apartheid in her personal, expres-
sive verse). Several other films feature musi-
cal icons, such as Ozzy Osbourne, Harry
Belafonte and the Kings of Leon.
The festival is offering four films on vid-
eo-on-demand this year, and 24 others with
timed virtual screenings on the Internet.
The movies chosen for cable TV and the
Internet target a different audience than do
those shown at the venues, the program-
downtown express
9/11 in particular,
Terranova maintained,
is still an integral part
of the festival’s identity.
“New York Says Thank
You,” for example, tracks
the journey of New York
firefighters and volunteers
helping communities
nationwide revive from
disasters. And the short
“Current (Reprise)”
documents New York City’s
first ticker-tape parade
following the World Trade
Center attacks.
mers said, and illustrate the power of social
media. (“Flowers of Evil,” for example,
demonstrates how citizens can coordinate
social uprisings — and staying tuned to them
remotely — via YouTube and Twitter.)
The festival’s new distribution division,
the programmers assured, is not solely a
profit-making venture. “I think it comes
more from filmmakers [who wish] to give
other filmmakers another platform,” said
Terranova. “As a purely financial model,
who knows if it’ll survive.”
“We wanted to figure out how we could
extend this outside of 12 days, to expand
the idea of what a festival can do,” Kwok
explained.
The digital venture, he noted, is still a
work in progress. “We want to see how
people react to it,” said Kwok, “and see
what works and what doesn’t.” As they do
each year, the programmers will convene at
the end of the festival to discuss how things
went.
Irrespective of the distribution service’s
success, Kwok and his team are intent on
keeping the brick and mortar festival not
only alive but developing and thriving.
“I don’t think demand of the festival itself
will change,” he said. “There’s nothing you
can really do to replicate the experience of
going to the cinema with festival-goers.”
“If there were an unlimited amount of
Continued on page 23
downtown express
Tribeca Film Fest directory
TO ORDER TICKETS:
www.tribecafilm.com, or call 646-502-5296.
The Presale Ticket Outlets are: Venues #1, 2 and 5.
1 Clearview Cinemas Chelsea (CCC), 260 W. 23rd St.
(btw. 7th & 8th Aves.)
2 AMC Loews Village 7 (AV7), 66 Third Ave. (at 11th
St.).
3 SVA Theater (SVA), 333 W. 23rd St. (btw. 8th &
9th Aves.).
4 BMCC Tribeca PAC (BMCC), 199 Chambers St.
(btw. Greenwich & West Sts.).
5 Tribeca Cinemas (TC), 54 Varick St. (at Laight St.).
6 Apple Store, SoHo, 103 Prince St. (at Greene St.).
7 Chanel Art Awards Gallery at NYAA, 111 Franklin
St.
8 Barnes & Noble Union Square, 33 E. 17th St.
9 Tribeca Film Center (TFC), 375 Greenwich St. (2nd
floor, btw. N. Moore & Franklin Sts.).
10 Tribeca Drive-In, at the World Financial Center
Plaza, West St. (btw. Vesey & Liberty Sts.).
11 Apple Store, 401 West 14th St. (at 9th Ave.).
April 20 - 26, 2011
12 Hudson River Park’s Pier 40, 353 West St. (Houston
at West Side Highway).
SINGLE TICKETS:
As of April 17, single tickets on sale to Downtown
residents (Ticket Outlets only, with proof of zip code
below Canal St.). As of April 18, single tickets are on
sale to general public.
Evening & Weekend screenings (after 6pm Mon.-Fri.
and Sat./Sun. prior to 11pm) are $16.
Matinee/Late Night screenings (prior to 6pm Mon.-
Fri. or after 11pm daily) are $8.
A HUDSON PASS costs $1,200 and includes access
for one to all evening, weekend and matinee/late night
priced screenings, Tribeca Talks and Filmmaker/Industry
Lounge.
21
DISCOUNTS AVAILABLE for students, seniors and select
Downtown Manhattan residents (Ticket Outlet locations
only). Service charges and fulfillment fees may apply. For
more ticketing information, visit www.tribecafilm.com.
TICKET PACKAGES are sold online and by phone only.
Opening Weekend Ticket Package is $100. Two general
screening tickets each to one film on Fri., April 22, two
films on Sat., April 23, and one film on Sun., April 24.
CHELSEA TICKET PACKAGE is $75 for six general
screening tickets to films showing at SVA Theater and
Clearview Cinemas Chelsea (two per screening).
DOCUMENTARY FILM FAN PACKAGE is $75 for six
general screening tickets (two per screening).
LATE NIGHT FILMS TICKET PACKAGE is $39 for six
late night screening tickets (two per screening) and two
invitations to the Cinemaniac party (Sun., April 24, at
Tribeca Cinemas).
MATINEE FILMS TICKET PACKAGE is $39 for six mati-
nee screening tickets (two per screening).
RUSH TICKETS: Screenings and panels that have no
more advance tickets available will be listed as Rush
Tickets. Rush ticket lines will form approximately 45
minutes prior to scheduled event times at the venue.
Admission will begin approximately 15 minutes before
program start time based on availability. Rush tickets are
priced as noted above, except at the BMCC Tribeca PAC
Theater, where all Rush tickets will be $8. No discounts
apply and admission is not guaranteed.
22 April 20 - 26, 2011
ATTENTION:
Commercial Property Owners, Commercial Tenants
and Residents of Lower Manhattan
The Alliance for Downtown New York, Inc.
2011 ANNUAL MEETING
HAS BEEN CHANGED TO
Thursday, May 12, 2011 at 4:00 P.M.
The Digital Sandbox at
Hot cakes: Hector Morales (left) Roberto Farias can’t quite go the distance, in the
55 Broad Street (Between Exchange Place & Beaver Street) tepid homo boxing flick “My Last Round.”
Continued from page 18
The meeting is open to the public and all
registered members are eligible to vote
MY LAST ROUND
87 minutes.
120 Broadway, Suite 3340 Screenwriter and Director: Julio Jorquera.
New York, NY 10271 In Spanish, with English subtitles.
(212) 566-6700 Sun., Apr. 24, 5:30pm & Tues., Apr. 26,
www.DowntownNY.com 10:30pm, at Clearview Cinemas Chelsea
(260 W. 23rd St., btw. 7th & 8th Aves). Fri.,
Apr. 29, 6pm, at AMC Loews Village 7 (66
Third Ave. at 11th St.).
For tickets ($16 evenings/weekends; $8
matinees), purchase at the Box Office or call
646-502-5296 or visit www.tribecafilm.com.
REVIEW BY SCOTT STIFFLER
As even the most casual observer will tell
you, there’s nothing remotely sexy, or sexual, or
homosexy, about boxing. Two muscular, sweaty
brutes wailing on each other while a man in a
white shirt and a bow tie periodically separates
)L]T\)LWTM[KMV\IVL8MLQI\ZQK7XP\PITUWTWOa them when the holding becomes too prolonged
and intense? No, sir, admirers of the male form
4I[MZ>Q[QWV+WZZMK\QWV +I\IZIK\;]ZOMZa_Q\P8ZMUQ]U1UXTIV\[ will find nothing to lick their lips over within the
state-sanctioned confines of a boxing ring.
+WV\IK\4MV[M[ +WUXZMPMV[Q^M-aM+IZM Too much polite restraint regarding the sexy
gay elephant in the room is what makes the
competent but tepid queer boxing flick “My
Last Round” such a letdown. It’s like the shock
and hurt you experience when you’ve shelled
Board Certified Ophthalmologist out half your paycheck for dining, dancing,
Assistant Clinical Professor of Ophthalmology, Mt. Sinai Hospital popcorn and a movie only to be rebuffed by a
complete and total lack of delivery on certain
implied promises. It’s not fair.
Although there’s some skin on display, very
Board Certified Ophthalmologist few are likely to get all hot — but many will
surely be bothered — by the sheer magnitude
Clinical Instructor, Mt. Sinai Hosptial
of lost potential and roads not taken (nar-
ratively speaking). What should have been a
queer “Rocky” worth cheering for turns out to
!5]ZZIa;\ZMM\ be a polite stab at merging the classic narrative
6M_AWZS6A of a boxer in search of one last victory with
an equally classic tale of forbidden love that
___\ZQJMKIMaMKIZMKWUŒ! triumphs over adversity.
So move over, Ang “Brokeback Mountain”
Lee. There’s a new director whose melo-
%RRNDQDSSRLQWPHQWRQOLQH )UHH$OO/DVHU/$6,.6FUHHQLQJV dramatic tale of doomed gay romance and
homophobic violence and peace achieved only
0RVWLQVXUDQFHSODQVDFFHSWHG on the other side of the grave is set to take
America by storm — or at the very least, per-
downtown express
Photo by Gabriela Larrain
sistent rainfall.
Steeped in decay and seemingly cursed by
an endless stretch of overcast days and stormy
nights, director Julio Jorquera’s Chile is an ugly/
beautiful world where everything from the
sputtering cars to the peeling wallpaper to the
scuffed-up mirrors are on their last legs. Add to
that list two very damaged people.
Middle-aged Octavio is a closeted boxing
champ who has the admiration of those in
his small town. Young, sad-eyed and recently
unemployed dishwasher Hugo throws some
subtle flirtations Octavio’s way — but when the
pudgy pugilist acts on them while the two take
a wizz during a rainswept camping trip, Hugo
rebuffs the advances he seemingly invited.
Eventually, the two get together and take
the bus to the capital city of Santiago — with
Octavio working as a barber and (literally)
directionless Hugo finding employment driv-
ing the delivery truck for a pet shop. It’s not
long before Octavio succumbs to the siren
call of the boxing ring once more. Also hap-
pening in short order is Hugo’s naïve flirta-
tions with a clueless girl at work who thinks
the clumsy kiss he pulled back from on
Lookout Point means they’re going steady.
Newsflash, Jenny: That double bed he shares
with Octavio in their cramped apartment?
It’s not just a space-saving strategy.
Well, if you can’t see where this one is
going, you’ll probably think those seizures
Octavio hides from all concerned are just
going to level off. Savvy queer moviegoers
will soon tire of the predictable plot and thor-
oughly unempowering narrative arc. That’s too
bad; because there are things to admire here,
mostly found in the moody cinematography
and the economy of scale employed by both
lead actors. Nothing except perceived betrayal
seems to justify reactions that surpass the rais-
ing of eyebrows. But that stoicism in the face of
an increasingly hopeless love story has an odd
cumulative effect. As the film lurches towards
its utterly predictable ending, the feelings
you’re hooked on are too little, too late — but
they nevertheless catch you on the chin like a
cruel and unexpected southpaw punch. Spoiler
Alert, boxing fans: Ring scenes are few and far
between and bereft of any erotic appeal. The
first truly great queer boxer’s love story has
yet to be made — at least on film. Swishy
Spielbergs, are you listening?
downtown express
Crafting a concise festival
Continued from page 20
people watching the movies [from home],
that might be cause for concern,” echoed
Terranova, pointing out the limited options
of the digital services. “We’re careful to
want to preserve the event of being inside
a cinema with a group of people. It’s one of
the reasons why festivals continue to exist,
because people want the communal experi-
ence.”
And this “communal” appeal has
undoubtedly contributed to its success and
fame. However, the festival still doesn’t have
a place to call home. It lacks a central hub
for its screenings and operations — some-
thing, Kwok said, that the staff has wanted
from the get-go. “We wish we could have
a whole complex for ourselves, where you
have 20-25 screens, plus a place for our
premieres and hospitality. That would be
amazing,” said Kwok.
Instead, it hosts screenings in ven-
ues scattered around Lower Manhattan.
Spreading outside of the triangular-shaped
area below Canal Street was something the
founders intentionally avoided early on.
In the first season, they held screenings at
Pace University, Stuyvesant High School and
other local venues so as not to expand above
14th Street.
The current programmers, however, see
an advantage in stretching north. “It helps
different neighborhoods to sort of have
the benefit of having the festival nearby,”
said Terranova, in what she referred to as
“spreading the love.” And, while the fes-
tival caters to an audience far wider than
Downtown Manhattan, Kwok said he and
A Strong Voice
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CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF PUBLISHING
THE NEWS OF DOWNTOWN.
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April 20 - 26, 2011 23
his crew have not lost sight of its roots and
its faithful neighborhood viewers.
“We’re very conscious of films that are
set in New York or Downtown,” said Kwok,
such as “Limelight” — a documentary about
the New York club scene; and “Newlyweds,”
which was shot entirely in Tribeca.
9/11 in particular, Terranova maintained,
Junior & Teen
is still an integral part of the festival’s
identity. “New York Says Thank You,” for
example, tracks the journey of New York
firefighters and volunteers helping commu-
nities nationwide revive from disasters. And
the short “Current (Reprise)” documents
New York City’s first ticker-tape parade fol-
Sailing Camps
lowing the World Trade Center attacks. The
festival is also showing a free screening of These week-long programs inspire kids
“The Second Day,” a documentary highlight-
ing interviews with teachers and students
and develop self-confidence.
from Lower Manhattan schools about their Each week includes lots of fresh air,
harrowing experiences on 9/11. sunshine and healthy activity.
The festival’s future, Kwok explained, is
unpredictable, since it is inextricably tied
to technological advances. “Who knows Ages 8 to 18
what’ll happen in two years — not just Tuition ranges from $390 to $690 per week
in terms of us, but in terms of how we’ll
watch movies,” he said.
After all, the iPad, which was intro- Full details & color pictures at
duced last April, within months became a www.sailmanhattan.com
popular movie-watching device and further
discouraged the need to leave one’s home to or call Manhattan Sailing School
watch a film. Kwok, however, is confident At 212-786-0400.
the festival will survive these changes. “The
great thing about being a young festival,”
he said, “is that we can adapt very easily.”
The festival occurs from April 20
through May 1. For screening dates/times,
ticket purchase and other festival-related SUMMER CAMP
information, visit www.tribecafilm.com/
biz kids July 5-August 12
Professional Training for Young Actors
646-336-9101
festival.
SUMMER CAMP
Call for more info!
biz kids
ny Conservatory training
commercials
television
theater
Film
pierStudios: Pier 40 West Houston @ West
Stage combat, Voice, Musical theatre,
Monday-Friday 9:30-3:30
On camera, Mask, Mime, Movement,
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July 5-August 12
Professional Training for Young Actors
Monday-Friday 9:30-3:30
Including: Audition Technique
Clown, Lecoq, Grotowski
Commedia, Shakespeare
Conservatory training Including: Audition Technique
Film On camera, Mask, Mime, Movement,
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Stage combat, Voice, Musical theatre,
theater Clown, Lecoq, Grotowski
television Commedia, Shakespeare
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commercials 646-336-9101
Peggy Lewis
Tickets available


NYC NETWORK
for purchase
www.graycenycradio.com
Is delighted to invite you
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ANGEL ORENSANZ FOUNDATION,
Friday, April 29th, 2011 FOR CONTEMPORARY ART,
at 7:30pm to Midnight (EST) 172 Norfolk St., New York, NY 10002
24
COMPILED BY JHANEEL LOCKHART
EASTER FUN FEST AT TRINITY CHURCH Hop down to
Historic Trinity Church on Easter Sunday for (pardon the pun) an
egg-citing afternoon of egg hunts and other family fun at Trinity
Church. Expect candy-filled eggs, prizes, and a photo opportunity
with the Easter Bunny, along with games, crafts, a puppet parade
and music. Older children can test their detective skills in a super
scavenger hunt that goes on throughout afternoon. Sun., April
24, 12:30pm-3pm at Trinity Church (Broadway & Wall St.). The
egg hunt, for children under 6 years old, begins at 12:30pm in the
South Churchyard. Sign up for the hunt near the Root sculpture in
front of the church. In the North Churchyard, from 12:30pm, there
will be events for kids 6 years and older (among then, that afore-
mentioned scavenger hunt and bunny photo op). FREE. For more
info, call 212-602-0800 or visit trinitywallstreet.org.
MANHATTAN CHILDREN’S THEATER MCT is upping the ante
in their presentation of “The Completed Works of the Brothers
Grimm (Abridged).” When four actors attempt to tell every single
story from the expansive collection of classic tales in only one
hour, you’ll literally get more for than you bargained for — with
inventive presentations of favorites like “Sleeping Beauty,” “Tom
Thumb,” “Snow White” and “Cinderella.” April 23–May 30. Sat./
Sun., 12pm and 2pm. At Manhattan’s Children Theater (52 White
St. btw. Broadway & Church). For tickets ($20, $50 for premium
seats), call 212-352-3101 or visit theatermania.com.
A PLAYDATE WITH IVAN Join Ivan Ulz — children’s singer/
April 20 - 26, 2011
THE ASSASSINS
CHASE PINOCCHIO
This modern, multimedia adaptation of
Carlo Collodi’s classic tale “The Adventures
of Pinocchio” features video projections,
confetti cannons, falling snow, long-nosed
masks, surround sound and psychedelic
original music. Presented by Immediate
Medium and the Clemente Soto Velez
Cultural Center, “The Assassins Chase
Pinocchio” turns the Disney’s version of
the tale on its head by revisiting original
story details such as a mischievous young Liz Vacco as the Beautiful Blue Fairy
Pinocchio, an asthmatic shark and other with the Blue Hair.
elements unknown to modern audiences.
Performances run from April 29-May 14. Thurs./Fri., 8pm; Sat., 3pm & 7pm and Suns,
3pm. At the Clemente Soto Velez Cultural Center (107 Suffolk St.). Tickets ($20 for
adults; $10 for kids) are half price for Sunday matinees. To purchase, visit theatermania.
com and immediatemedium.org.
songwriter and author of the “Fire Truck!” song (a YouTube hit for
quite some time now). Good friend Leah Wells will join Ulz, for an
intimate family music program that will be the perfect start to your
weekend. Every seat is front and center, and there’s plenty of room
for dancing and moving. At 11am, every Sat./Sun. through May 22.
YOUTH
ACTIVITIES
Photo by Maki Takenouchi
At the Metropolitan Playhouse Theater (220 E. 4th St., btw. Aves.
A and B). For reservations ($12, $10 for children 12 and under), call
212-995-5302 or visit metropolitanplayhouse.org. For more info,
visit ivanulz.com.
EARTH DAY CELEBRATION The Battery Park City Library helps
celebrate Earth Day with a workshop that will help your children
bring out their inner tree hugger. Kids will create their very own
dream catcher using recycled materials such as plastic container
tops, yarn and thread — all provided for free. Recommended for
children ages 4-10. At 3:30pm, Fri., April 22. At the Battery Park
City Library (175 North End Ave.)
TIRBECA FAMILY FESTIVAL STREET FAIR The Tribeca Film
Festival is back again — and with family-friendly happenings like
this street fair, you and your kids won’t miss out on the fun. This
free event features tons of activities and special performances.
Partake in fundraising activities from taekwondo lessons to hair-
spray painting; create life-size bubbles in the Bubble Garden; and
get creative in the Arts & Crafts Pavillions. Sat., April 30, 10am–
6pm. For those looking for some big screen action, there are two
free film screenings. “The Second Day” (a documentary about
9/11 through a child’s eyes) at 2:30pm; and “NKO” (a lively anima-
tion film) 4pm. Screenings will be shown at BMCC TribecaPac (199
Chambers St). Lines begin 30 minutes prior to the start of each
Moving Visions’ Murray Street Studio
A Wise Choice for your child’s dance education!
Dance for Children and Teens
• Modern Ballet (ages 5-18) • Choreography (ages 8 & up)
• Creative Movement/Pre-Ballet (ages 3-5)
ADULT CLASSES Yoga - Tai Chi • Chi/Dance/Exercise for Women
19 Murray St., 3rd Fl.
(Bet. Broadway and Church)
downtown express
screening, and admission is first-come, first-served.
THE MUPPETS TAKE MANHATTAN As part of the Tribeca
Film Festival’s Tribeca Drive-in, the Muppets team up for another
delightful adventure that families will enjoy watching under the
stars. Join Kermit, Miss Piggy, and the rest of the Muppets, who
come to New York City to launch their Broadway musical, “Man-
hattan Melodies,” but soon realize it’s not as easy as they thought.
Cleverly directed by Frank Oz — and featuring Dabney Coleman,
Joan Rivers, Elliott Gould, Liza Minnelli, and Gregory Hines —
“The Muppets Take Manhattan” is brimming with cuteness and
fun for all ages! Stop by before the show to participate in activi-
ties like face-painting, Muppet-themed trivia, sing-alongs, and
fuzzy surprise guests. Sat., April 23. Tribeca Drive-in opens at 6pm;
pre-show activities begin at 6:30pm; and film screenings begin at
8:15pm. At World Financial Center Plaza (220 Vesey St.). Admis-
sion: Free.
DOWNTOWN GIANTS YOUTH PROGRAM The Downtown
Giants Youth Football Program has opened registration for their
summer camps and fall tackle football season. The program
includes divisions for all ages; peanut division (5-9), junior pee
wee (10 and 11), junior midget (12 and under, max weight) and
midget division (14 and under). A cheerleading program is also
available. To register, visit DowntownGiants.com.
SNOW WHITE This modern adaptation of the classic tale is
presented by a cast of professional actors and up-and-coming
performers trained at the New Acting Company. Fris., 7pm, Sats.,
3pm and 7pm (no 3pm matinee on May 7), and Suns, 1pm and
5pm. April 15 through May 15. At the Phillip Coltoff Center (219
Sullivan St.) For tickets ($18, $20 at the door), call 212-868-4444
or visit smarttix.com. Recommended for children ages 4 and up
(infants will not be admitted).
KARMA KIDS YOGA Karma Kids Yoga Studio offers classes
that gets kids stretching — in group sessions for every age (from
babies of 6 weeks to teens). Their fun exercises promote physi-
cal strength and flexibility, and are especially helpful for children’s
developing bodies. Kids will build concentration and focus through
breathing and visualization exercises. Parents can choose from a
number of rates (including drop-in prices and special bundle pack-
ages). At 104 W. 14th St. (btw. 6th and 7th Aves.). For rates and
schedule, call 646-638-1444 or visit karmakidsyoga.com.
BRING YOUR OWN KID Every Sunday at 11am, 92YTribeca’s
B.Y.O.K. (Bring Your Own Kid) series features live performances
by children’s bands and entertainers. Recommended for ages 6
and under. At 92YTribeca (200 Hudson St.) For tickets ($15, free for
children under 2), call 212-601-1000 or visit 92YTribeca.org.
EARTH CELEBRATIONS PUPPET & COSTUME WORK-
SHOPS As concerns about global warming and the environ-
ment continue to mount, Earth Celebrations is hoping to use art
to address some of these issues. In several workshops, both teens
Continued on page 25
212-608-7681 (day)
www.murraystreetdance.com
downtown express April 20 - 26, 2011 25

Photo by Erina Mavrina

Sketching a crime scene, as part of the “Junior Police Academy Spring Recess
Drop-Off Program.”

THE NEW YORK CITY POLICE MUSEUM

At the “Junior Police Academy Spring Recess Drop-Off Program,” children will learn
what it takes to be a police officer — whose daily activities combine arts, science and history.
At 1-3pm, April 18-22. Recommended for ages 6-12. Registration is required as space is
limited ($15; free for members). Call 212-480-3100 ext. 116. “The Junior Officers Discovery
Zone” is an exhibit designed for ages 2-10. It’s divided into four areas (Police Academy; the
Park and Precinct; Emergency Services Unit; and a Multi-Purpose Area), each with interac-
tive and imaginary play experiences designed to help children understand the role of police
officers in our community (by, among other things, driving and taking care of a police car).
For older children, there’s a crime scene observation activity that will challenge them to
remember relevant parts of city street scenes; a physical challenge similar to those at the
Police Academy; and a model Emergency Services Unit vehicle where children can climb in,
use the steering wheel and lights, hear radio calls with police codes and see some of the actual
equipment carried by The Emergency Services Unit. At 100 Old Slip. For info, call 212-
480-3100 or visit nycpm.org. Hours: Mon. through Sat., 10am-5pm and Sun., noon-5pm.
Admission: $8 ($5 for students, seniors and children. Free for children under 2).

Continued from page 24
and adults will draw inspiration from the diverse marine species
and habitats of the Hudson River to create costumes and giant
puppets for the upcoming Hudson River Pageant. Costume work-
shops with artist Soule Golden: Weds., 6-9pm. Puppet workshops
with artist Lucrecia Novoa: Sats., 12-4pm. Admission: Free. At the
Church Street School for Music and Art (74 Warren St.), through
May 18. The Hudson River Pageant takes place May 21.
CHILDREN’S MUSEUM OF THE ARTS Explore painting, col-
lage and sculpture through self-guided arts projects. Open art
stations are ongoing throughout the afternoon — giving children
the opportunity to experiment with materials such as paint, clay,
fabric, paper and found objects. “Art Within Reach: from the WPA
to the Present” — on display through June 5 — is an intergenera-
tional exhibit connecting the artistic and intellectual dots between
those who grew up in NYC during the Great Depression and those
who are growing up in the city today. Museum hours: Wed.-Sun.,
12-5pm; Thurs., 12-6pm (Pay as You Wish, from 4-6pm). Admis-
sion: $10. At the Children’s Museum of the Arts (182 Lafayette St.
btw. Broome & Grand). Call 212-274-0986 or visit cmany.org. For
group tours, call 212-274-0986, ext. 31.
SATURDAY AFTERNOONS AT THE SCHOLASTIC
STORE Every Saturday at 3pm, Scholastic’s in-store activities
YOUTH
ACTIVITIES
are designed to get kids reading, thinking, talking, creating and
moving. The Scholastic Store is located at 557 Broadway (btw. Sunday, April 24, 12:30-3pm
Prince & Spring). Store hours are Mon.-Sat., 10am-7pm, and Sun.,
11am-6pm. For info about store events, call 212-343-6166. Visit
Trinity Churchyard, Broadway at Wall Street
scholastic.com.
POETS HOUSE The Poets House “Tiny Poets Time” program
Come celebrate Easter with egg and
offers children ages 1-3 and their parents a chance to enter the
world of rhyme — through readings, group activities and interac-
scavenger hunts, a puppet parade, a visit
tive performances. Thursdays at 10am (at 10 River Terrace and
Murray St.). Call 212-431-7920 or visit poetshouse.org.
from the easter bunny
FAMILY HOUR EVENT AT STRAND Every Thursday at 3:30pm, ...plus lots of other family fun.
the Strand Book Store hosts family hour — where staff members
read their favorite books and lead kids and their caregivers in
themed activities. The Strand Book Store is located at 828 Broad-
way (near 12th St). Store hours: Mon.-Sat., 9:30am-10:30pm, and
Sun., 11am-10:30pm. For info, call 212-473-1452 or visit strand-
books.com.
WOULD YOU LIKE TO SEE YOUR EVENT LISTED IN THE
DOWNTOWN EXPRESS? Listing requests may be sent to
scott@downtownexpress.com. Please provide the date, time,
location, price and a description of the event. Information may also
be mailed to 145 Avenue of the Americas, New York, NY 10013- trinitywallstreet.org | 212.602.0800
1548. Requests must be received at least three weeks before the
event. Questions? Call 646-452-2497.
26 April 20 - 26, 2011 downtown express

For Aussie author, second act victories are sweet

Breakthrough bio chronicles the best of women’s boxing
BY SCOTT STIFFLER
So hot off the press that the ink is barely
dry, Aussie artist/journalist (and Australian
national women’s boxing champion) Mischa
Merz’s odyssey through the scuffed looking
glass of America’s best boxing gyms is
already one for the history books.
Written as a humble, keenly observed
and utterly obsessive chronicle of women’s
boxing (from the post-“Million Dollar Baby”
boom to the present), “The Sweetest Thing:
A Boxer’s Memoir” wryly time stamps this
unique moment when the sport is poised to
make its debut in the 2012 Olympics.
So determined is Merz to tell that story,
she often jettisons her own formidable
late in life redemption tale to the back
burner — in favor of standing in awe when
witnessing (often during sparring sessions)
the skill and determination of others. The
result is an autobiography full of character
sketches that crackles and sparks with the
ring of truth.
Of the contemporary pioneers who will
never see Olympic gold hanging from
their necks, Merz fires off a preemptive
challenge to 2012’s first female boxing
champion: “These amazing women should
never be forgotten or allowed to slip
under history’s rug as the sport gathers
pace and grows. I feel honored to have
met them, to have been in the presence of
Caught in a trance: Mischa Merz, in closed eyes and sweet reflection mode.
their courage and their commitment.”
Referencing her own career trajectory,
Merz nails the personal greed and univer-
sal glory that could very well represent
the distilled essence of anyone’s path to
self-discovery: “Maybe that’s what I like
most about the culture of this particular
sport. It is all about me, baby, that’s for
sure. But no one does it alone.”
Photo courtesy of the author
As for what that “it” is: Merz rose to
the top of the Australian boxing ladder,
then found herself at age 45 deciding to
give it one last go in the USA. Much of
the attention she lavishes on female box-
ers comes from her time spent observing,
participating, learning and building on
her already impressive skills. The best of
the best (and some of the rest) in box-
BOOKS
THE SWEETEST THING: A
BOXER’S MEMOIR
By Mischa Merz
Release date: April 30, 2011
$18.95
pp 288
Visit sevenstories.com, mischamerz.com and
mischamerz.wordpress.com.
ing gyms in California, Georgia, Florida
and NYC left indelible marks, impressions,
scrapes and scars.
Makes you want to meet her, right?
Well, you already missed the April 12 book
launch at Brooklyn’s famed Gleason’s Gym
(gleasonsgym.net). But Merz will be back
there — to train, advise and fight — at
their Women’s Boxing Clinic (April 28-30).
She’ll also be appearing at Bluestockings
Bookstore (172 Allen St., NYC) at 7pm on
Wednesday, April 27. Merz will read from
her book and, in the process (forgive the
pun) knock you out. For info on that free
event, visit bluestockings.com.

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downtown express
Fundraisers for friends in need
BENEFITS
COMPILED BY SCOTT STIFFLER
EDWARD II
The WOW Café Theatre presents this
visionary all-female version of playwright
Christopher Marlowe’s equally unconven-
tional “Edward II” — a historical fictional
account of King Edward II’s fall from grace
(caused in no small part by his failure to
court popular support by butching it up
and otherwise playing down his sexual
preferences). Masks, interpretive dance and
heightened theatricality are used to take
you on a journey of power, privilege and
forbidden desires. Your journey to into
Edward II’s heart of darkness will help oth-
ers provide a light at the end of the tunnel
for queer and homeless youth. The proceeds
will benefit Chelsea Now’s favorite cause:
The Ali Forney Center(see page 19 for
more info on AFC). Visit aliforneycenter.
org, Edward-ii.tumblr.com and wowcafe.
org. April 21-23 and April 28-30, at 8pm.
At WOW Café Theatre (59-61 E. 4th St.).
Tickets ($20) available at the door ($15
pre-sale online at fabnyc.orb). Student and
senior discounts available at the door.
EARTH DAY BENEFIT: BROADWAY
RECYCLED
Unlike the last few months of “Spiderman”
performances, the fat trimmed off of some
Broadway experiences shouldn’t wind up in
landfills. Compost heaps, perhaps. But land-
fills? What kind of monster (or investor; or
producer) would throw out a perfectly good
song? Earth Day gets the musical theatre
muffin treatment, in this imaginative fund-
raising concert comprised of songs cut from
musicals that shouldn’t go to waste. Proceeds
from the event go to benefit the nonprofit At
Hand Theater Company. Their mission, to
produce original work using environmental-
ly conscious means, is the perfect cause for
Earth Day (and the other 364). Concertgoers
can expect to hear songs cut from old growth
classics like “Hair” and “Chicago,” plus
more obscure musicals such as “Betty Boop”
and “Working.” The free range and fresh
cast includes Sean Bradford (“The Lion
King”), Gideon Glick (“Spiderman: Turn
Off The Dark”) and Kate Pazakis (“South
Pacific”). Mon., April 25, 7pm & 9:30pm. At
Joe’s Pub (located in The Public Theater at
425 Lafayette St. at Astor Place). Tickets are
$30 in advance, $35 at the door, subject to
availability. A limited number of $60 tickets,
which include preferred table seating and a
poster autographed by the cast, are avail-
able. To purchase, call 212-967-7555 or visit
joespubcom. Also visit athandtheatre.com
www.
DOWNTOWNEXPRESS
.com
April 20 - 26, 2011 27
Photo courtesy of Anthology Film Archives
Anthology Film Archives founder Jonas Mekas, circa 1984.
custom-made “Anthology Film Archives” mances continue. For tickets ($40 general
ANTHOLOGY FILM ARCHIVES 2011 wines and DVD sales of the Maysles film admission; table seats with light dinner &
FILM PRESERVATION HONORS “The Gates” happens. At 9pm, perfor- wine, $200), visit citywinery.com.
& 40TH ANNIVERSARY BENEFIT
CONCERT
Need a Locksmith?
Check out the name of that event…what
a mouthful! But do what Anthology Film
Archives does for 40 years, and we’ll gladly
publish the name of your event in caps and
bold print. Proceeds from this benefit will
support Anthology’s operations, film pres-
ervation work and capital improvements.
If you admire the Anthologies mission
(preserve, study and exhibition film and
video, with a particular focus on indepen-
dent, experimental and avant-garde cin-
ema), then you’ll also have a soft spot for
the night’s honorees. Performances, music
and tributes will cast a deserving (although,
we suppose, not harsh) klieg light on film-
maker Albert Maysles; Vlada Petric (found-
ing director of the Harvard Film Archive);
film scholar Tony Pipolo; Technicolor; and
the Library of Congress (for creating the Gates & Welding Repair – Revolving & Automatic Doors
National Film Registry). Featured perform- Hollow Metal & Kalamein Doors - Cement Door Frames
ers and speakers include Harmony Korine,
Rixon Floor Closers - Architectural Hardware - Magnetic Locks
Marina Abramovic, Richard Barone and
Transgendered Jesus.
Key pads - Card Access Systems - Electric Strikes
April 27, at City Winery (155 Varick Dead Bolts – Master Keying Systems
St.). Proving you should never be late Intercom Systems - Panic / Exit Devices
for an event, even in NYC, Anthology
says the schedule will be as follows:
Doors open at 7pm. Performances start
at 7:30pm. At 8pm,the Presentation of
Honors begins. At 8:45pm the Auction of
Gene Harrison
Master Locksmith & Door Control Specialist
646-525-8111
28 April 20 - 26, 2011 downtown express

Fighting to keep Seaport

Jill Simon, Greenroom • Xtreme Events • Jennifer Gilbert, SAVE THE DATE • Alasdair Nichol •
Baluchi’s • Barbarini Alimentari • Duane Park Patisserie • Farinella Italian Bakery • Figaro • Gee
Whiz Diner • Max • Table Tales • The Amish Market • The Lobster Place • Tribeca Treats • ROC •
museum from sinking
Ruben’s Empanadas • Sarabeth’s Kitchen • Whole Foods • Chambers Street Wines • Frankly Wines the museum should do the exact opposite
• Hudson Wine & Spirits • Jason Salgado • Puffy’s • Robert Fraley • South’s • WAT-AAH! • Broadway
Party Rentals • Print Facility • Downtown Express. Underwriting Donors – Alan Knoll & Joy Gallup
Continued from page 4 — restore them and expand programming
• Alvaro & Valerie Perez • Ashley Marable • Carmit Gall’s Class • Christie & Britt Ewen • CinDee & on them, according to the advocates. “The
Jody Thompson • Clare & Michael Bacon • Debbie & Chuba Loyim • Dorothy O’Connell Class • The museum is thinking about doing away strategy of the museum is entirely backward
Ed Schulz’s Class • Elissa & Douglas Tiesi • Erica Davis’ Class • Janine Shelffo & Steve McGrath • with its entire fleet, according to Abegg and — instead of going out and using the ships
Jennifer Gilbert • Johannes Jacobs • John & Cristina Dimen • John Miles • Jocelyn & Bill Zuckerman other museum advocates. Three of the ships — as appropriate vehicles to encourage public
• Julie Brown’s Class • Mara Sambrotto’s Class • Marya Cohn • Patrice Altongy • Patrick Shea’s
Class • Pauline Leung & Matthew Fritz • Rachel & Gregg Moskowitz • Robert & Kristen Starling • the Pioneer, the Lettie G. Howard schooner and support, they’re seen as liabilities,” said
Robert Fraley • Ronald & Ronald Rolfe • Rose & John Franco • Sarah Zeroth’s Class • Stacey Duffy the W.O. Decker tugboat – have been leased at Ferraro.
• Stephanie & Andrew Douglass • Suzana Peric • Winsome Brown & Claude Arpels • Yumiko Higaki no cost for a year, according to Abegg. “They’re not liabilities — they’re its very
& Mary Ellen Bizarri’s Class • Zarah Malik. Donors – 3.1 Phillip Lim • Adeline Adeline • Agnes & Jon The museum’s spokesperson wouldn’t con- heart and soul. It’s got to use those great assets
Chapski • Alexander Ross • Alvaro & Valerie Perez • Amar Lalvani • Amaryllis Farm Equine Rescue
• Aminah et les Amis • Amy & John Bonomi • Amy Astley/Teen Vogue • Amy Davidson • Anastasia
firm, this, however, and only said, “Seaport as a way to support itself.”
Vasilakis • Andrew Levy • Andy Ostroy • April Uchitel • Atelier Cologne • Ayesha Patel-Rogers • Ayrin Museum [NY] is exploring various options The proposal calls for the museum to “bring
Widjaja & Alex Behrens • BABESTA • Balloon Saloon • Basmat Levin • beckiemartina, re-stylists • regarding the maintenance of its historic ves- our ships to life, with sail-handling and sailorly
Bikram Yoga NYC • Bill Sullivan Works • BMCC Tribeca Performing Arts Center • Boomerang Toys sels.” arts used in crew training” and “with visitors
• Bowery & Vine • Brandy Library • Bravo Life Coaching • Brooklyn Botanical Garden • Brooks
helping to handle line, telling their own stories
Brothers Retailer • Bubby’s Pie Co. • Biscuits And Bath • Callamari Fine Art • Canis Minor Tribeca •
Carla & Sean Chadwick • Catherine Levesque & Philipp Warnery • Ceasar Cabral Fine Carpentry and advancing a cultural heritage vital to the
• Centro Raccontami • Century 21 Department Store • Chambers Street Orthodontics • Chef Kurt city’s story.”
Gutenbrunner • Children’s Museum of the Arts • Chris Benz • Christa Skinner • Christina Lehr
• Christine Wong • Christopher Lynch • Church Street School for Music and Art • City Sounds
“It would be a tremendous To succeed, Stanford said, the museum
must also rely wholeheartedly on its volunteers,
of NY • City Winery • Coco Masuda Studio • Cosmopolitan Hotel • crewcuts • Cristina Dimen •
Crystal-Smith • Cynthia Sexton • Daisy Dog Studio • Damon Liss • Dana Yaxa • Dani Finkel • loss to the memory and “pick the rhythms of what people are interested
Daniellaviva Yoga • Danielle & Tony Reilly • Daphna & Harvey Keitel • Deborah Weinswig • Debra in” and “campaign aggressively to get people
Meyer & Stephen Gordon • Delida Torres • dell’anima • Dimitri Gorbounov • Dingaling Studio Inc • the cultural fabric involved” in fundraising.
Disrespectacles • DKNY • Do Yoga Do Pilates • Downtown Bookworks • Downtown Dance Factory “I don’t think the basic New Yorker has
• Dr. Gabrielle Francis • Dr. Reena Clarkson • Drs. Gottlieb & Santore, Tribeca Dental Center • Dunkin
Donuts/Sal’s Enterprise • E. Gluck Corp. • Eclat Salon & Boutique • Education Francaise a New
of New York.” changed that much,” Stanford said of the recent
York • Edward’s Restaurant • Eisner Design LLC • Elan Flowers • Elizabeth Gillett Ltd • Elyse Kroll decline in philanthropy. “They just haven’t been
Interiors, Inc. • Equinox Tribeca • Eric Colby • Euphoria Spa • F. Illi Ponte • Fatima & Donald Roland Walter Rybka invited in an open, generous way.”
• Five Points Academy • Frances Janisch • Francine Cornelius • French Connection • Furthurdesign Stanford is faulting Pelzer, in particular, for
• G TECTS • Gabay-Rafiy & Bowler LLP • Gauge NYC • Ghislaine Viñas Interior Design • GILL &
failing to engage donors and visitors. He is call-
LAGODICH GALLERY • Gramercy Tavern • Grasshopper Pilates Downtown • Greenwich Grill •
ing for her resignation and for an interim direc-
Gregoire Ganter Photography • Gregory Barrett • Gryson Inc • Guillaume & Astrid Herbette •
H Company LLC • Hampton Jitney • Hands On! A Musical Experience • Hartshorn Portraiture • But the mere thought of the ships leaving the tor to be appointed and guided by the leaders of
Heide Valero • Helmut Lang • Hey Joe Guitar • Hook & Ladder Eight • Hospitality Quotient • Ifat harbor distresses many Seaport museum lovers. the Erie Maritime Museum, the Mystic Seaport,
Knaan-Kostman • Il Buco • Imagine Swimming • iPlaza • J. Christopher Capital • Jacques Torres “The [Economic Development Corporation] and other successful maritime museums around
Chocolates • Jamie & Andrea Barker • Jamie & Peter Hort • Jay Ackerman Photography • Jazz is telling the museum to cut costs, get rid of the country.
at Lincoln Center • Jeffrey Donnelly • Jennifer & Hal Shaftel • Jennifer Fisher Jewelry • Jessica
& David Saslow • Jim Juvonen • Joanne Silver • John Allan’s • Jonathan Eklund • JoomiNYC • anything they can, and basically hunker down “Mary should have never held this job…
Josh Bach Limited • Ju-Ai Designs by Lynne Eidelman • Juicy Couture • Julie Ronning • Juraci until they can somehow restructure the place,” she didn’t have enough experience, nor the
Da Silva • Karma Kids Yoga • Karpov Orthodontics • Keith & Cathy Abell • Ken Chu DDS • Kerry said Robert Ferraro, the first president of the generosity of spirit or willingness to learn,” said
Noel Barile • Kevin Corrigan • Kevin J Grant DDS, P.C. • Kevin L Reymond • Khushi Spa • Kiehl’s Friends of the South Street Seaport Museum, a Stanford.
since 1851 • Kirsten R Clausen • Knitty City • L&L Hawaiian Barbecue • La Maison du Chocolat
• Lance Lappin Salon • Late Show with David Letterman • Laura Levine • Lauren Eskelin • Lea &
volunteer group that helped get the museum up Abegg said Pelzer’s announcement of the
Stephan Freid • Leah Singer & Lee Ranaldo • LearningRx - Brain Training Center • Leshem Loft and running in its first years of existence. museum’s troubles to its staff seemed “inau-
LLC • Lesley & Brian Sondey • Liana Farnham • LimoLand • Linda Marini • Lindsay Lee • Lisa & The city, the museum’s landlord, declined thentic,” and attributed the institution’s finan-
James Metcalfe • Lisa Ripperger • LittleMissMatched • Liza Park • Loren Shlaes • Loretta Lester, to comment. cial meltdown to her “autocratic” ruling style.
party poopers/partySWANK! • Lotus Salon • Lucky Wang • Macao Trading Co • Made Fresh Daily Ferraro, along with other advocates, has The advocates group has scheduled a phone
• Makeda Brathwaite • Manhattan Youth Downtown Community Center • Marcia Kline & Gerri
DiBenedetto • Marianne Kuhn • Marie-Pierre Stark-Flora • Marilena Anastassiadou & John Judge joined forces with the museum’s founder, first conference for Thursday to continue the dia-
• Mark Shulman & Kara Pranikoff • Marlene Crawford • Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia • Martin president and volunteer staff consultant, Peter logue and to figure out a way to reach Mayor
& Marilyn Diamond • Mary Jaeger • Maslow 6 • Mathew Murray • Max Restaurant • MaxDelivery. Stanford, to devise a plan to salvage the muse- Michael Bloomberg with its messages. The City,
com • Melissa Goldstein • Meryl Katz • Mia Westerlund Roosen • Michelle & Doug Monticciolo • um. They held their first meeting with Pier 16 they argue, should be responsible for supplying
Mie Yim • Mind Over Matter NYC • Mitch Klein • Mixology NYC • Monica Forestall & Kerry Schuss
• Moomah • Mordecai-Mark Mac Low • Myoptics • Mysterious Bookshop • Nan Molofsky & Arthur
volunteers two Saturdays ago and are working the funds to keep the museum alive.
Skelskie • Nancy Diamond • Nanny Traveler • Nanoosh • Nelle and John Fortenberry • New Georges on a written proposal asking that the museum “A hidden factor in all this is that the Mayor,
• New Jersey Devils • New York Jets • New York Sports Clubs • New York Vintners • Nicky & take certain immediate steps to resuscitate in ways we don’t know, is really calling the shots
Leonard Ellis • Nicolas Michael & Carolina Buzzetti • NYC Elite Gymnastics • Olivia Harris • One itself. around here,” said Stanford. “I’d like the City to
More Story, Inc. • Oona Stern & Alex Manuele • Otte • Pam & Michael Kirkbride • Pamela Casper • “The whole purpose is to get the City, or rebuild and restructure the museum, and stop
Patti Aronofsky • Patti Clark • Paulette Goto • Photo Coach • Physique 57 • Physique Swimming •
Playgarden Associates • Playing Mantis • Projekt New York LLC • R 20th Century • Ray Sell • Reade whoever it is that’s running the museum, to the nonsense.”
Street Animal Hospital • Robert @ MAD Museum • Robert A. Ripps • Robert Danes at The Danes take a look at what we’re suggesting,” said Abegg is co-leading a group of about 150
Inc. • Robert Fraley • Ronald Rolfe & Sara Darehshors • Rose & John Franco/NY Mets • Roughan Ferraro. “We just want to be heard, ’cause we Pier 16 volunteers that has launched saveo-
Interior Design • Sabrina Love Handbags • Sara Fikree DDS • Sari & David Rafiy • Savoy Restaurant think we have something important and valu- urships.org to get the word out about the
• Scott Smith • Seamlessweb.com • Shark Suit • Shoofly • Smyth-Thompson Hotel & Tribeca
able to say.” museum’s troubles and solicit aid.
Associates, LLC • SottileDesigns.com • SOULCYCLE • Soundwaves • South’s Restaurant • Square
Diner • Stacher & Stacher Inc. • StemSave Inc. • Stephen Gordon • Story Pirates • Stuzzicheria The museum used to be a thriving institu- The museum is an irreplaceable aspect of the
• Super Soccer Stars • Suteishi • Sweet Lily • T Kang Taekwondo • TADA! Youth Theater • Tane tion, Ferraro, added, and there is no reason why history of New York City, according to Walter
Organics • Taste Buds • Teen Vogue • Terroir Tribeca • Thalassa Restaurant • The Greenwich Hotel it can’t prosper once again. Rybka, president of the Council of American
• The Myriad Restaurant Group • The Odeon • The Palm Tribeca • The Quad Manhattan • The
First, the proposal advises the museum’s Maritime Museums, a collegial association of
Skin Institute • Theory • Torly Kids • Tortola Salon • Tory Burch • Tracy Reese • tracywatts Inc. •
Tribeca Beauty Spa • Tribeca Dental Studio • Tribeca FasTracKids/E.nopi • Tribeca Film Festival •
staff to rededicate itself to the public through a maritime museums of which Seaport Museum
Tribeca Hardware • Tribeca Pediatrics & Tribeca Parenting • tribeca pet services • Tribeca Pizza • comprehensive program of meetings, newslet- New York is a member.
Truman’s Gentlemen’s Groomers • Trump Soho Hotel • Valerie Carmet Gallery • Valerie Pasquiou ters and public events centered on the history of “It would be a tremendous loss to the
Interiors • Valery Joseph Salon • Vera Wang Bridal House LLC • Victor & Sascha Forte • Vinny New York City and the South Street Seaport. memory and the cultural fabric of New York to
Barile • violaine etienne • VIP Nails • Virgina Smith & Patrick Robinson • Virginia Smith • Walker’s
It also recommends that the staff organize have that close,” said Rybka.
Restaurant • Walt Disneyworld • WAT-AAH ! • Wendy Mink Jewelry • White and Warren • WiNK •
YANSI FUGEL • Younghee Salon • Zucker’s Bagels and Smoked Fish public demonstrations of its ship operations and The museum he said, “lets people come
redevelop an active membership group and an and just experience the closest thing they can
accountable, elected board of trustees. to the environment of the early- and mid-19th
Rather than sell off or give away its boats, century.”
downtown express April 20 - 26, 2011 29

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Seaport market moving Pace program surprises

Continued from page 5
likely leave a lot of money on the table if we
sold it for this price.”
He said that if the South Street Seaport
were sold, the sale could generate “large
amounts of income” because the book value
“It’s important just to
keep the market going
because it’s its own best
spokesperson.”
— Robert La Valva
is so much less than market value, but
such a sale “might be destroying long-term
shareholder value…particularly if we believe
materially more value can be created through
redeveloping and releasing these assets over
time.”
Grant Herlitz, president of Howard
Hughes Corp. said that the company is
“assessing and reassessing” what should
become of the South Street Seaport. “We’re
not yet a point where we’re ready to make a
recommendation,” he said. “We’re working
closely with the City to come to a resolu-
tion that will reenergize the South Street
Seaport and once we do that, everybody will
be pleased.”
The plan that General Growth Properties
had floated, which included putting up a
495-foot-tall hotel and apartment building,
demolishing the mall on Pier 17, moving the
Tin Building to that site and erecting a low-
rise, boutique hotel is still on the table.
“That’s one of the options,” said Herlitz,
“but it’s not the only option.”
He said that he was aware that many
in the Lower Manhattan community had
opposed the G.G.P. plan. “Once we come
up with the options that we think are most
viable, we will absolutely try to get as much
community support as we can get,” he said.
“After all, the Seaport has to serve the com-
munity so it wouldn’t do us any good to try
to serve a community that is opposed.”
He said that Howard Hughes Corp. hopes
to release a plan for the Seaport later in
2011. Meanwhile, Robert La Valva is round-
ing up 40 to 50 vendors for each of his
weekly markets. “It’s important just to keep
the market going because it’s its own best
spokesperson as the market,” La Valva said,
“and the more we do it….” He did not com-
plete the sentence. But he said the market
will definitely open on May 1, “and we’ll be
putting up a Maypole!”
Continued from page 9
former Fortune 500 banker and a musician
with a double Platinum album. Students
have ranged in age from their early twenties
to their late sixties.
“We have all kinds of ages, all kinds of
backgrounds,” said Manolikakis, “and this
is the beauty of it, because one learns from
the other.”
“I’ve always performed but
didn’t realize I could make
a career out of it.”
— Shareen Macklin
The curriculum was designed by Actors
Studio leaders, including Ellen Burstyn,
Harvey Keitel and Al Pacino. In weekly
workshops, students learn about script anal-
ysis, design, stage combat, directing and
auditioning for plays, musicals, film and
television. A new workshop this year covers
writing for film and television. The students
take weekly dance classes at the Alvin Ailey
Dance Theater.
The program costs $33,000 a year. Some
students are supported by their families.
Others like Shariffa Wilson, who has a
bachelor’s degree in political science from
Howard University and was planning to go
to law school, have taken out loans to attend.
“Coming into this I knew the sacrifice that I
would make,” she said. “I left a job where I
was getting paid every two weeks and I had
amazing medical coverage but I didn’t want
to have any regrets. I’m the happiest I’ve
ever been in my life.”
Wilson went on to say that, “the most
amazing thing about being an artist is that
you feel everything and everything that
you’ve experienced, you turn into your art.
Things that could have broken you down,
you use to feed your art, and it’s amazing.”
“It’s been a life-changing experience,”
said another student, Desiree Elle from
Montreal. “Being in New York and sur-
rounded by so many different people, so
many different cultures, so many different
artists.”
“I’ve always performed but didn’t real-
ize I could make a career out of it,” said
Shareen Macklin, who has an undergradu-
ate degree in chemistry from North Carolina
A & T State University. She will be going to
Fort Peck Summer Theatre in Montana this
summer to do “Hairspray,” “Chicago” and
“Big River” and to teach in a performing
arts camp. ““I get to create my own class!
Hopefully that will establish me as a teach-
ing artist when I come back here,” she said.
The Actors Studio Drama School is
still accepting audition applications for next
year’s incoming class. For information, go
to http://www.pace.edu/dyson/academic-
departments-and-programs/asds
For reservations to see the plays in this
year’s repertory season call (212) 346-1665
or email ASDSRep@pace.edu. The free per-
formances are Wednesdays through Fridays
at 8 p.m. and Saturdays at 3 p.m. and 8
p.m.

Library bolsters community

Continued from page 5
everyone,” she said.
The B.P.C. patrons, Barreca added, are
especially well-versed in children’s literature.


She visits the Battery Park City Day he comes in.
Nursery, P.S. 276, I.S. 89 and other local
schools on a regular basis to conduct “story
Experience... time” sessions and talk to the youngsters
about the library.
Thursday Late Night In the 13 months they’ve been living in
New York, the library “has become an exten-
Exclusive service, wine & light fare, complimentary sion of our family,” said Tracey-Ann Spencer,
mother of eight-year-old Decklan and five-
conditioning treatments, visit our “refuge room” year-old Bronwyn, who attended the April
Appointments Recommended 18 “Picture Book Time” session.
The Spencer family moved from southern
Australia to South End Avenue in Battery Park
HAIRCUTS U COLOR U TREATMENTS U STYLING City on March 13, 2010 — two days, coinci-
dentally, before the library’s grand opening.
CHILDREN’S CUTS U EXTENTIONS U JAPANESE STRAIGHTENING Decklan and Bronwyn borrow books, play
computer games and frequent story time at
7%34"2/!$7!9s the library at least three times a week. (The to create an installation that they’ll put on
library offers four “story time” classes, total,
LANCELAPPINTRIBECA.COM
for different age groups.) The siblings also
MON 10-7; TUE, WED, FRI 8-7; THUR 8-9; SAT 9-6; SUN 11-6 attend the library’s puppet shows and live
animal displays, and partake in its arts and
crafts activities.
Decklan devours several books in a few
days’ time and says he is always itching to
return to the library to replenish his stock.
Often, Barreca or another librarian has a list
of suggested reads prepared for him when
“It’s really fun coming here,” Decklan
said. “I really like how Anne [tells] the
stories.”
The librarians, Tracey-Ann said, seem to
have a passion for what they do. “They really
get to know the people who come into the
branch and are always willing to help.”
“It’s a real team effort,” she continued.
“It is a wonderful thing for a community
to have such a friendly, fun place in their
neighborhood.”
In anticipation of the 10th anniversary
of 9/11, the library will be holding origami-
making classes as part of a peace crane
project. Staff will collect the patron-crafted
trinkets throughout the spring and summer
display at the branch by September.
The purpose of the project, Parrott
explained, is “to get everybody in the com-
munity involved.”
downtown express April 20 - 26, 2011 31

Photos by William Alatriste / NYC Council

Mr. Met, Ms. Quinn, kids open Little League season

With much fanfare and fun, Greenwich Village Little League held its opening day ceremony at Pier 40, at West Houston St., on Sat. April 9. The young players, Mr. Met and
Brooklyn Cyclones mascot Sandy the Seagull marched around the pier’s sprawling courtyard field, above and below right. Council Speaker Christine Quinn fired in the sea-
son’s first pitch, below left. Was that a camera or a speed gun the guy at right was holding?
32 April 20 - 26, 2011 downtown express