THE AREA (2018, 105 min)
Consulting Producer
★★★★ “An eye-opening saga of resistance” - Andrea Gronvall, Chicago Reader
“This searing documentary unfolds the process of a nefarious land grab for a more than century-settled swath of Chicago's South Side Englewood neighborhood. Over a five-year period, the Norfolk Southern Railway methodically turns 85 acres of homes into eerily empty prairie land in the name of economic revitalization. Aided by the city council and a host of business interests, the railroad proceeds with a plan to expand its intermodal freight terminal into the heart of an area whose residents have few resources to resist when pressured with cash and threats of eminent domain. With a sensitive eye for the raw beauties of the urban landscape, director Schalliol follows a story that becomes powerfully emotional when the last holdouts, led by 30-year resident Deborah Payne, fight for their rights, while the homes of their neighbors fall one after another to the bulldozers.” - Gene Siskel Film Center
“The Area is a complex, issue-driven documentary analyzing the erasure of a neighborhood, and shining a light on the meaning of community.” - LaToya Cross, South Side Weekly
"A film that is both about holding onto and restoring dignity in the face of insurmountable odds ... a profoundly emotional work that should be seen by all." - Steve Prokopy, Third Coast Review
"It sounds like the premise of a movie from the 1930s ... beautiful and haunting at the same time." ★★★ - Richard Roeper, Chicago Sun-Times
“…a sturdy hallucination in urban geo-location and physical and psychic dislocation." - Ray Pride, New City
"…an urgent and compelling documentary about a dimension of city that's rarely seen on the big screen.” - Harrison Sherrod, Cinefile
Celebrating The Area World Premiere at the 2018 Full Frame Documentary Film Festival in Durham, NC
Q&A following a sold-out 2018 Black Harvest Film Festival screening at the Gene Siskel Film Center of the School of the Art Institute of Chicago