The Hole is a short documentary film by Filmmakers Courtney Fathom Sell and Billy Feldman completed in 2010. The film explores a below-sea-level neighborhood on the Brooklyn-Queens border commonly referred to as The Hole. Infamous for being a location that corpses relating back to mafia murders had been discovered, as well as the Home of the Federation of Black Cowboys, the documentary touches upon various aspects of life in The Hole through interviews with individuals who still reside in the flooded location.[1][2]
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The Hole, as it is referred to by local residents, is a five-block neighborhood on the Brooklyn-Queens border surrounded by rumors and mystery. Also known as the 'Jewel Streets', the area is partially flooded and linked to an extensive amount of controversy due to apparent mafia related murders and trash-filled landscape. Nearly cut off completely from the rest of New York City, the neighborhood does not have a sewer system but instead utilizes cesspools. The film features interviews with many residents of The Hole, explores the history of the Federation of Black Cowboys and their relationship with the neighborhood, and documents the landscape of the area.[3]
While living in New Orleans, Sell and Feldman had overheard stories regarding the Brooklyn neighborhood which caught their interest. Upon researching the neighborhood, the two filmmakers had trouble uncovering much information, as most of the stories came from word-of-mouth. While in pre-production stages, the filmmakers had trouble convincing others that such a neighborhood existed in New York City. They decided to travel down to the area where The Hole supposedly existed and once there, were so compelled by what they saw, decided to begin shooting immediately.
Shot over the course of one month by a small crew that included Sell, Feldman, and cinematographer Ashley Connor, the documentary explored the living conditions within the neighborhood. The crew spent most of their time speaking with residents in the location and shooting landscape scenery.
In an interview, Sell explained that:
"We wanted explore and fully document the area in a way in which we would allow all things to happen naturally. The Hole is such a surreal environment anyway, that even if you are to shoot a conventional documentary, it would still turn out to be a surrealistic film! "[1]
The film premiered at the 4th annual Red Hook Film Festival on October 16, 2010 in Brooklyn, New York.[4] In March 2011, the film was officially released online.[5] It will be presented in August 2011 at Rooftop Films summer screening series presented by IFC.[6]