HOLY PLACES
In the summer and fall of 2010, Charlie will be finishing a documentary short tentatively titled “Holy Places” about the work of Ellen Levitt, a photographer who documents ex-shuls, the many houses of worship in New York City that were originally synagogues and became evangelical churches as the city's demographics changed throughout the 20th Century.A fuller description of the first book published by Levitt, “The Lost Synagogues of Brooklyn,” is here.
BATTLE OF BROOKLYN
Work goes on, meanwhile, on Charlie’s longer documentary, “The Battle of Brooklyn.” In it, contemporary Brooklyn residents tell the story of the Revolutionary War battle that happened there in 1776. Just weeks after the Declaration of Independence, the single largest battle in the war took place in the farms of what would later be Brooklyn. While giving a detailed account of the little-known but historically momentous conflict, the film is examining the reasons why interest in the battle waned and then, in recent years, returned, and considers the importance of homegrown, neighborhood intellectuals. Its estimated completion date is spring, 2011.To view the “Battle of Brooklyn” trailer, email cb@charlesbowe.info