| In Jackson Heights | |
| Director: | Frederick Wiseman |
| Cinematography: | John Davey |
| Editing: | Frederick Wiseman |
| Studio: | Moulins Films |
| Distributor: | Zipporah Films PBS (USA) (TV) |
| Runtime: | 190 minutes |
| Country: | United States France |
| Language: | English Spanish Arabic Hindi |
In Jackson Heights is a 2015 documentary film about the community of Jackson Heights, Queens, New York City, directed by Frederick Wiseman. The film received widespread critical acclaim.[1] [2] In 2017, the film was considered the thirteenth "Best Film of the 21st Century So Far" by The New York Times.[3]
The film documents events in Jackson Heights, including "a Muslim school, a Jewish center, a meeting of gay and transgender people, a City Council office and the local headquarters of Make the Road New York, an activist organization dedicated to Latino and working-class people."
In Jackson Heights has received positive reviews from critics. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gives the film an approval rating of 95%, based on 39 reviews, with an average rating of 8.3/10. On Metacritic, the film has a score of 81 out of 100, based on 12 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".
In a review for the Los Angeles Times, Michael Phillips wrote, "True to Wiseman's form, In Jackson Heights contains no on-screen identification of camera subjects, no voice-over narration and little in the way of overt polemics. By the end, you arrive at the essential paradox found in every Wiseman portrait: a clear sense of just how cloudy our world and our environments have become."[4] For The New York Times, Manohla Dargis wrote, "Wiseman’s latest documentary is a movingly principled, political look at a dynamic neighborhood in which older waves of pioneers make room for new, amid creeping gentrification."[5]
In Peter Bradshaw's review for The Guardian, he called it "an engaging portrait—film-making which works from the ground up."[6]
| Award | Subject | Nominee | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Chicago International Film Festival | Best Documentary | Frederick Wiseman | Nominated | |
| Cinema Eye Honors[8] | Outstanding Achievement in Direction | Frederick Wiseman | Nominated | |
| Indiewire Critics' Poll | Best Documentary | 3rd Place | ||
| International Cinephile Society Awards[9] | Best Documentary | 2nd Place | ||
| International Online Cinema Awards[10] | Best Documentary | Frederick Wiseman | 3rd Place | |
| BFI London Film Festival[11] | Documentary Film | Frederick Wiseman | Nominated | |
| National Society of Film Critics Awards[12] | Best Non-Fiction Film | 2nd Place | ||
| New York Film Critics Circle Awards[13] | Best Non-Fiction Film | |||
| Venice International Film Festival | Queer Lion | Nominated | ||
| Village Voice Film Poll | Best Documentary | 4th Place |
As of 4 November 2016, the film has grossed $121,094 at the box office.[14]