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?
Direction
Levin lets kids speak for themselves—brutally honest.
Writing
No narration needed; the proximity says everything.
Director
Marc Levin
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
Avenues: The World School was founded by Chris Whittle, who also created Channel One—bringing ads into public school classrooms.
The Chelsea-Elliot Houses were among the last NYC projects before 'mixed-income' redevelopment erased pure public housing.
US
