Banksy Does New York

The Encampments

March 2025 •English

Students flooded Columbia University’s lawn to create the Gaza Solidarity Encampment in order to pressure their university to divest from the US and Israeli weapons companies. The film follows the central organizers of the encampment as they are thrust into the spotlight, face violent police repression and suspension, congressional pressure, and a media firestorm, all while fighting to attain their goal of divestment at any cost.

Beat Goes On

December 2019 •English

Beat Goes On is an impressionistic portrait of the activist Keith Cylar (1958–2004), co-founder of Housing Works and a central figure in the AIDS Coalition To Unleash Power (ACT UP) NY. Cylar spoke clearly, frequently and with moral force about the struggles of people living with HIV/AIDS in New York City, many of whom were impoverished and struggling with multiple social and medical problems. His openness about his own drug use and the centrality of the fight against the criminalization of drugs for AIDS activism make Cylar's legacy especially resonant and relevant at this time. Commissioned by Visual AIDS in 2019 as part of STILL BEGINNING, a program of seven short videos responding to the ongoing HIV/AIDS epidemic.

Rubble Kings

June 2015 •English

Through archival footage Nicholson tells the story of the real Warriors that walked the streets of New York City in the 1970s and the harsh reality of gang life in a city that seemed to be falling apart.

Elevator Pitch

June 2020 •English

A depiction of New York’s subway as an absurd obstacle course – revealing a system that shuts many out of a city in motion.

Le Trésor sacré d'Hitler

January 2019 •French

Qu'est-ce que la haute couture ?

September 2016 •French

Brooklyn Bridge: An Engineering Masterpiece

May 2023 •German

The Brooklyn Bridge spans the East River and connects Manhattan and Brooklyn, the two centers of the port city of New York. Its architect Johann Roebling was one of the great inventors and master builders of his time. The wire rope: his product. The suspension bridge: his dream. The film tells the amazing story of the Roebling family and the spectacular history of the Brooklyn Bridge.

Son of Sam: The Hunt for a Killer

August 2017 •English

A shocking serial murder case terrorized New York 40 years ago. Surviving victims, families of the deceased, and the detectives who worked on the case recount their stories.

No York City

January 1983 •English

Impressions of New York City. Experimental short.

For Your Consideration

December 2019 •English

Charlie Chaplin, The Genius of Liberty

October 2020 •French

The whole world knows him. Burlesque comedy genius, popular actor, author, director, producer, composer, choreographer, Charlie Chaplin (1899-1977) used his talent to serve an ideal of justice and freedom. But his best scenario was his own destiny, a story written into the political and artistic history of the 20th century.

Always at The Carlyle

May 2018 •English

The iconic Carlyle hotel has been an international destination for a particular jet set as well as a favorite haunt of the most discernible New Yorkers.

American Murder: The Family Next Door

September 2020 •English

Using raw, firsthand footage, this documentary examines the disappearance of Shanann Watts and her children, and the terrible events that followed.

First Pitch

September 2015 •English

Part of ESPN's 30 for 30 Shorts. On October 30, 2001, with the United States of America still reeling from the aftermath of the September 11 terrorist attacks, George W. Bush took to the mound at Yankee Stadium to throw the "first pitch" of the 2001 World Series' third game. Includes interviews with former United States Secretary of State, Condoleezza Rice; former New York City mayor, Rudy Giuliani; Yankees shortstop, Derek Jeter; former Yankees manager, Joe Torre; former United States Director of Central Intelligence, George Tenet; members of the Bush family; and the 43rd President of the United States, George W. Bush.

The Fleshtones: Pardon Us for Living But the Graveyard Is Full

April 2009 •English

When a gang of suburban teens stumbled across a bunch of abandoned instruments and formed The Fleshtones little did they know that 30 years later they'll still be struggling to rock - and pay the bills.

All American

June 2024 •English

In this modern, coming of age documentary, Naomi, Jojo and Arham grapple with economic divides, gender roles, and family dynamics while competing in the fastest growing high school sport in the country: girl’s wrestling.

The Automat

September 2021 •English

The 100-year story of the iconic restaurant chain Horn & Hardart, the inspiration for Starbucks, where generations of Americans ate and drank coffee together at communal tables. From the perspective of former customers, we watch a business climb to its peak success and then grapple with fast food in a forever changed America.

Truman & Tennessee: An Intimate Conversation

June 2021 •English

The parallel lives of writer Truman Capote (1924-84) and playwright Tennessee Williams (1911-83): two friends, two geniuses who, while creating sublime works, were haunted by the ghosts of the past, the shadow of constant doubt, the demon of addictions and the blinding, deceptive glare of success.

Pay It No Mind: Marsha P. Johnson

October 2012 •English

Marsha P. Johnson was a drag queen, sex worker, and LGBT activist who fought at Stonewall and knew Andy Warhol. She was a New York fixture who made her motto her middle name: "Pay it no mind". This documentary about her life includes the last interview she gave before the suspicious circumstances of her death in 1992.

Godard by Godard

May 2023 •French

Godard by Godard is an archival self-portrait of Jean-Luc Godard. It retraces the unique and unheard-of path, made up of sudden detours and dramatic returns, of a filmmaker who never looks back on his past, never makes the same film twice, and tirelessly pursues his research, in a truly inexhaustible diversity of inspiration. Through Godard’s words, his gaze and his work, the film tells the story of a life of cinema; that of a man who will always demand a lot of himself and his art, to the point of merging with it.