The Originals: A Short Documentary on the Original Penn South Cooperators

The Originals: a short documentary by award-winning filmmaker Ruth Sergel in collaboration with the Penn South Archive Project.

LOCATION:
Church of the Holy Apostles
296 9th Avenue
New York, NY 10001

Penn South, officially known as Mutual Redevelopment Houses, Inc., is an affordable cooperative housing community located in the Chelsea neighborhood of Manhattan, in the heart of New York City.

Join us for an afternoon of celebration of the unique history of Penn South. “The Originals,” a short documentary based on oral histories recorded by cooperators over the past year, will have its premiere screening on Saturday, May 6, 2023, at 1 pm.

In 1962, the ILGWU (International Ladies’ Garment Workers Union) welcomed the first cooperators to Penn South, an affordable-housing coop in the middle of New York City. During the past 60 years, the Originals (original cooperators) have persevered through creativity and struggle in this bold experiment for thousands of people that still exists to this day. Over the past year, current cooperators at the Penn South Archive Project recorded the stories of the Originals to create a collective record of their experience. “The Originals” is a short documentary based on these conversations.

“A Teenager’s Guide to Penn South,” a new short film by teenagers and lifelong cooperators Silvie Bird, Olive Eng, and Fiona Shuldiner, will also be screened.

Live music (performers to be announced).

The event is sponsored by the Penn South Archive Project, organized by the Education Committee of Penn South Social Services.

Have questions? Contact archiveproject@psss.org

The film will be open captioned. The venue is wheelchair accessible. Masks warmly encouraged.

This event is free. General admission. For more information please visit here.