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Class Divide (2016)

Name: Class Divide
Genre: Documentary
Released: 2016-04-18
Duration: 74 min
Rating: 5.9

Class Divide (2016), directed by Marc Levin.

04/18/2016 BR Documentary 1h 14m

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Synopsis

A look at NYC’s gentrification and growing inequality in a microcosm, Class Divide explores two distinct worlds that share the same Chelsea intersection – 10th Avenue and 26th Street. On one side of the avenue, the Chelsea-Elliot Houses have provided low-income public housing to residents for decades. Their neighbor across the avenue since 2012 is Avenues: The World School, a costly private school. What happens when kids from both of these worlds attempt to cross the divide?

Daniel B. LevinCinematography
Mark BenjaminCinematography
Robert RichmanCinematography
Sam CullmanCinematography

About the film

Class Divide is a 2015 documentary film by Marc Levin about gentrification. The film premiered at the 2015 DOC NYC.

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Class Divide is a 2015 documentary film by Marc Levin about gentrification. The film premiered at the 2015 DOC NYC.

Description

The documentary shows the effects of gentrification in Chelsea subsequent to the creation of the High Line park on the population of the neighbourhood. Since the rehabilitation of the old railways of the High Line into an urban park, the real estate market in the neighbourhood increased sharply. The documentary illustrates the impact of the changes this incurs in the life of the residents with the establishment of the for-profit private school Avenues: The World School on 25th and 26th streets, just opposite 10th Avenue from the Chelsea-Elliott housing project which offers accommodation for low-income inhabitants. At the time, tuition at Avenues cost between $40,000 and $50,000 per year, while the average income in the housing project complexes was $21,000 per year with an unemployment rate of about 58%. Marc Levin follows families from the Avenues school and from Chelsea-Elliott Houses. Focusing on the children and young adults from both sides of 10th Avenue, the documentary shows the discrepancies in living situation, expectations and opportunities between them. It also shows their understanding of the situation and of each other.

References

Text from Class Divide (film) on Wikipedia, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Class_Divide_(film)

Trivia

It premiered on April 18, 2016, a Monday.
It runs 1h14 — short for a feature film.
As of September 20, 2026, it is available in Brazil by subscription on HBO Max.
This film's quiz has 7 questions — enough to play more than once without repeats.

Production

StudiosBlowback Productions, HBO Documentary Films
CountriesUnited States
LanguagesEnglish
StatusReleased

Where to watch

HBO Max Streaming

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Crew

Daniel B. Levin Cinematography
Mark Benjamin Cinematography
Robert Richman Cinematography
Sam Cullman Cinematography
Marc Levin Director
Ema Ryan Yamazaki Editing
Daphne Pinkerson Producer
Ema Ryan Yamazaki Producer
Kara Rozansky Producer
Marc Levin Producer
Mike Farrah Producer
Nancy Abraham Producer
Sheila Nevins Producer
Marc Ribot Original music

Questions about this film

What is Class Divide about?

Class Divide: A look at NYC’s gentrification and growing inequality in a microcosm, Class Divide explores two distinct worlds that share the same Chelsea intersection – 10th Avenue and 26th Street. On one side of the avenue, the Chelsea-Elliot Houses have provided low-income public housing to residents for decades. Their neighbor a…

Who directed Class Divide?

Class Divide was directed by Marc Levin in 2016.

How long is Class Divide?

Class Divide runs for 74 minutes, or 1h14.

Where can I watch Class Divide?

Class Divide is available on HBO Max and HBO Max Amazon Channel. Availability changes often: the list on this page is the most recent we received.