Miracle on 42nd Street

2018 • 68 minutes

About this movie

Miracle on 42nd Street is the 2020 NY Emmy-winning documentary about the history and impact of the Manhattan Plaza apartment complex in New York City. Starting with the facilities' initial commercial failure in the 1970s, the film recounts how – in a moment of bold inspiration, or maybe desperation - the buildings were "re-purposed" as subsidized housing for people in the performing arts. The social experiment was a resounding success in the lives of the tenants, as well as the Westside neighborhood and local economy. The film makes a compelling case for both the value of subsidized housing for artists, as well as the value of the arts to the American economy. The film features on-camera interviews with people whose lives were positively impacted by the complex, including Alicia Keys, Terrence Howard, Donald Faison, Larry David, Samuel L Jackson, Angela Lansbury and many others. The film is narrated by acclaimed actor and playwright Chazz Palminteri.