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Watch Spike Lee's Affecting New Short Film, A Love Letter To NYC During The Pandemic
By
Ben Yakas
Published May 8, 2020
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Spike Lee
By
Ben Yakas
Published May 8, 2020
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Spike Lee is one of the essential chroniclers of this city, someone whose work is practically synonymous with New York. So it feels exactly right that he's been working on a short film during the pandemic documenting NYC during this strange period. He's now released the three minute joint on Instagram: "My Short Film-NEW YORK NEW YORK Is A Love Letter To Its People."
It features images from all five boroughs during the shutdown, including iconic landmarks like the Statue Of Liberty, Grand Central, Yankee Stadium, Coney Island and more, and concludes with a tribute to health care workers. It's incredibly straight forward—"plain and simple," as he put it—and is soundtracked by Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York." And yet, despite the obvious nature of the landmarks and the choice of music, it is hard not to feel wholly moved watching it. You can check it out below.
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COVID-19
pandemic
coronavirus
short film
spike lee
Ben Yakas
Ben Yakas is a former Gothamist reporter.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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