The Fall of Cannonsville (2023, 21:25, 16mm color, 35mm archival B&W)
Available as 16mm print
In the mid-1960s the remaining residents of Cannonsville, NY departed their homes for the last time. What was once an idyllic valley had now been made unrecognizable as homes and businesses were demolished and burned. The New York City Board of Water Supply, with more than a decade of planning, successfully flooded the valley and a number of nearby villages, displacing nearly one thousand people and permanently altering the course of the lives of the former residents who said goodbye to the place they called home. To date, this was the last in a series of nineteen reservoirs that were constructed, spanning more than a century, each displacing numerous communities and adding to the complex network of interconnected water infrastructure to supply New York City with necessary drinking water from upstate. Amidst political turmoil the families of the valley vacated, but in the sixty years following these events the trauma, animosity and anger has not subsided.
Partially funded by a grant from the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs & Special Events and a Lightpress Grant from the Interbay Cinema Society. Archival material from “Indian Summer” was preserved with funds from the National Film Preservation Foundation.
SCREENINGS:
“Liquid Form” at No Name Cinema, Santa Fe, NM
Moviate Underground Film Festival, Harrisburg, PA
“Analog Night” at Midwest Film Festival, Chicago, IL
“Anti Premiere” at Employees Only Cine Club, Chicago, IL
Deposit State Theatre, Deposit, NY
Mimesis Documentary Festival, Boulder, CO
Delaware County Historical Association, Delhi, NY
