Two of our acclaimed documentaries about Brooklyn, Last Summer at Coney Island and Up on the Roof, will be airing on Channel Thirteen/WNET and other PBS stations; both films are by documentary filmmaker JL Aronson of Creative Arson Productions.

Here’s a little about each film:

Last Summer at Coney Island (93 min on DVD, 57 min for broadcast) 2010 — Nominated for a New York Emmy Award

Coney Island is known throughout the world as the birthplace of the hot dog, the roller coaster and—broadly speaking—popular culture. But Coney Island is not what it used to be and the area has lingered for years as a specter of its former magnificence.

Now, after years of false starts, change is coming to Coney Island. Come Hell or high water, the city of New York is determined to revitalize the once glorious, world capitol of amusements. Meanwhile, a private developer with dubious motives has been purchasing every square foot of land he can get his hands on. The neighborhood’s residents, along with the amusement community and the millions who cherish Coney Island’s legacy are left wondering what will happen next. Seaside salvation or Brooklyn boondoggle? History will decide but this film is the first draft. Last Summer at Coney Island juxtaposes images of the past and present and features many of the key players in this historic transformation.

Up on the Roof will be airing on Thirteenn/WNET: Saturday July 7, 1pm

All along the waterfront and throughout blue collar Brooklyn, pigeon keeping has been an active pastime for over 2 centuries, passed down from one group of residents to the next. Up on the Roof observes several of these devoted pigeon-lovers through the rigors and rewards of this quintessential New York tradition. The film focuses on Williamsburg, where the rotating immigrant and working class populations have kept this neighborhood an epicenter of pigeon keeping. But all that has changed in the past few years as landlords have suddenly found themselves sitting on goldmine properties that had been barely maintained for generations. This film follows a number of coops getting evicted from their long-time perches, throwing the future of this legendary pastime into question.

For more information check out the official websites and film pages listed below.

Last Summer at Coney Island (Official Site, Film Page)
Up on the Roof (Official Site, Film Page)

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