Explore the story of New York from the end of the 20th century through the first quarter of the 21st—one of the most dramatic, demanding and transformational periods in the city’s history. In this two-part follow-up to the landmark 8-part NEW YORK: A DOCUMENTARY FILM, witness an epic portrait of America’s largest city through decades of challenge, growth and change.
Corporate funding for NEW YORK: A DOCUMENTARY FILM "Shadows of the Past" and "The Future of Cities" was provided by Hudson River Trading. Major funding was provided by the American...
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More About the Series
New York: A Documentary Film, the acclaimed series produced by Steeplechase Films and directed by Ric Burns and written by Burns and James Sanders, returns with two new films. Presenting a vivid portrait of New York's evolution and transformation over the last half-century, Shadows of the Past and The Future of Cities chronicle the story of America's largest city across more than 50 years of challenge, growth, and change.
Shadows of the Past explores the forces that shaped the city in the second half of the 20th century, as New York plunged into the most threatening period of decline and disorder in its history—only to rise again, thanks to a stunning drop in crime, to regain its place at the vanguard of world cities. The episode concludes in the summer of 2001, with New York, now remarkably safe and secure, unaware that a new threat from beyond its borders would soon threaten to undo all the progress of the previous decade.
The Future of Cities begins just after 9/11 and follows New York's efforts to recover under the new and untested mayoralty of Michael R. Bloomberg. Through rare archival footage and compelling interviews, the episode traces the aftermath of 9/11, the financial crisis of 2008, Superstorm Sandy in 2012 and the COVID-19 pandemic of 2020. Yet defying the doomsayers, the city also rebuilt itself in these years on a dramatic scale—economically, physically, and demographically—thanks to an influx of newcomers from around the world. The episode ends with the inauguration of Zohran Mamdani as mayor of New York in January 2026.
Ric Burns Talks to THR
Director and co-writer Ric Burns speaks with The Hollywood Reporter about the two new installments in his NEW YORK: A DOCUMENTARY FILM series, which have been in the works for more than a decade.
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Corporate funding for NEW YORK: A DOCUMENTARY FILM "Shadows of the Past" and "The Future of Cities" was provided by Hudson River Trading. Major funding was provided by the American...