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The Arts Intel Report

A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler
A Cultural Compass
For the World Traveler

Los Sures

In May of 1984, New York magazine ran a cover story titled “The Lower East Side—There Goes the Neighborhood.” It was all about gentrification, a growing urban concern. Just across the bridge, however, Williamsburg was in no such peril. Known in Spanish as Los Sures (the southside), South Williamsburg was home to a Puerto Rican community where boomboxes, breakdancing, and graffiti reigned. Directed by Diego Echeverria, this short documentary is a time capsule of 1980s New York, viewed through the lenses of five widely differing South Williamsburg residents. Now available for streaming, this film has rarely been screened since its release. —E.C.

A film still from “Los Sures,” 1984. Photo courtesy of Union Docs.