Thursday, June 27, 2013

"Mettle": Documentary Shot Almost Exclusively In Cobble Hill, To Premiere At Jalopy

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On July 28th, "Mettle," a documentary by Brooklyn resident Andrew Arrow will be premiered at Jalopy Theatre on Columbia Street. The film, completed in April 2013, is almost entirely shot in Cobble Hill and shines a light on a little-known fact: that collecting recyclable material on New York City sidewalks is illegal. Those who do so to earn money can be cited, fines and even arrested.

Who knew that people who eek out a living by going through our recycling bins to look for empty cans or heap our old discarded air conditioners onto rusty shopping carts to bring them to scrap metal places like Benson Scrap Metal in Gowanus can be fined up to $10,000.
Through interviews with politicians and those who collect recyclables , Andrew Arrow investigates why this is should be. He writes:
"On a whim, using a $300 Handycam, I interviewed several people in my neighborhood about this phenomenon. The information I received and the incidents I recorded were quite unexpected, and led to the creation of a full-length film that includes interviews with some of New York City's (and the country's) environmental thought leaders and pioneers. The result of this effort is certain to surprise and entertain."

You can find more information about "Mettle" on the film's Facebook page.

"Mettle, The Movie" Premiere
Sunday, July 28, 2013
315 Columbia Street (corner of Hamilton/BQE)
Brooklyn NY
7PM reception
8PM screening
9PM brief Q&A with the produce

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5 comments:

Anonymous said...

this great revelation of scrap haulers happens all over the country.. urban, suburbia, and rural areas alike .. this is just your all knowing all seeing all judging gov't at work making sure folks are beholden to them rather than working for themselves,,, this isn't theft it is free enterprise!

"Mettle"-a film by Andy Arrow said...

Thank you, Anonymous. Strangely, or maybe not, participants in the film and potential audience members continue to sum up the situation better than the film's creator.

Anonymous said...

Check out Detropia recently aired in PBS-- small section about people going around and tearing buildings down (illegally) for scrap metal to sell.

Jim said...

"... this is just your all knowing all seeing all judging gov't at work making sure folks are beholden to them rather than working for themselves."

Huh?

Anonymous said...

the fact of the matter is , if we are too lazy to bring our recyclables to a scrap dealer ourselves , then I for one am glad that some other individual who shows the initiaitve to help support themselves benefits rather than having the city make a buck..