Brooklyn — rap’s favorite borough, is best been known for its tough, grimy image. According to Jay-Z, Brooklyn goes hard, and Biggie was quoted as saying that you “do or die in Bed-Stuy.” The documentary “Bushwick Homecomings” tells a much different story. It is the story of the significant change that is currently taking place in New York City’s livliest borough. Filmmaker Stefanie Joshua provides an in-depth view of life in the Bushwick section of Brooklyn. –wesley brown
Tell us a little bit about “Bushwick Homecomings.” What’s it about?
Bushwick Homecomings is a 37-minute documentary about the everyday occurrences in a New York City neighborhood. The film looks at the 30-year history of the Bushwick section of Brooklyn since the blackout of 1977. It examines how the area evolved and the fact that one-fifth of the neighborhood was under-developed until about four years ago. It also reviews what was behind the development; the drug trade that preceded the blackout; the story of a young man who lost his life at a young age and the residents who live there. It’s generally all of those things combined to create one story.
What compelled you to create the film?
Well, I’m not a filmmaker and I’ve never created a film piece before. Therefore, I have no formal training in the art. One reason I thought of creating it was due to the murder of [a] young man I knew in the neighborhood, his death impacted me. Although a lot of people had lost their lives, that specific person really had an effect on me. The second reason was due to the rapid redevelopment taking place. The fact that it was being developed quickly, made me question what was going on. I wanted to find out why after 30 years was it being developed now. I also wanted to question those behind it and whether or not there is a future for those like me who were born and raised in Bushwick. Since there are new people moving in, I wanted to know [if there] will still be a community of people that have been through the storm and weathered it.
