Zieman directed and produced several early videos for “The Friends of the High Line”, in the crucial years before The High Line was funded and approved. This first was this award-winning documentary, projected large within 2
massive billboards, in NYC’s Grand Central Station for a month; over 1,000 commuters a day watched it. It was intentionally designed to seem low-budget, reflecting the many voices of the community. Starring Edward Norton, Diane Von Furstenberg, Mayor Bloomberg, and many expert voices of architecture, urban planning, Parks Dept., city, state, and national politicians, local residents, and critics of the park plan. Zieman filmed the entire High Line with a Steadicam, as a wreck, already slated to be demolished. This film helped galvanize public opinion toward making the abandoned elevated train track into today’s park, now the third most popular tourist site in NYC.
(Music by John Petersen)
© 2021 John Zieman, all rights reserved.
