Heading 6
Synopsis
In 1977, The Cornelia Street Cafe opened in New York City's, West Village. While the city was struggling through a deep economic downturn, three impoverished and hungry artists opened a neighborhood restaurant and performance space. The cafe’s initial monthly rent was $450 per month. During the next 41 years, after extortionate landlords took over the building, the rent rose to a staggering $33,000 per month. This exorbitant rent—and harassment from aforesaid landlords--resulted in the closing of the café. The artistic community, which had created such an inviting neighborhood atmosphere, was left with one less critical space in which to perform
Since the cafe’s closure, I have filmed Robin Hirsch as he has staged several events in EXILE. I plan to focus on Hirsch’s family’s past as well as the history of the Cornelia Street Café. I will be filming Robin performing in Berlin and London (where he was born). These will be part of a larger examination of how an individual and a community deals with unforeseen loss. Robin’s ongoing productions in EXILE are a testament to the resistance and perseverance of artists in their need to create communities that are sustainable.
