The legendary Chelsea Hotel, an icon of 1960s counterculture and a haven for famous artists and intellectuals including Patti Smith, Janis Joplin and the superstars of Warhol’s Factory, is under renovation. Soon it will reopen to the public as one of New York’s most fashionable luxury hotels.
Dozens of long-term residents, most in their later years, have lived amidst the scaffolding and constant construction for close to a decade. Against this chaotic backdrop, Dreaming Walls takes us through the hotel’s storied halls, exploring its living body and the bohemian origins that contributed to its mythical stature. Its residents and the walls themselves now face a turning point in their common history.
“…an evocative, melancholy immersion in the lives of a handful of holdouts who have maintained the building’s bohemian spirit.” — Ben Kenigsberg, New York Times
“An illuminating new way of seeing this old building — not just as an historic landmark where amazing things happened long ago, but as a place where people have actually lived full lives, finding shelter and inspiration in its haunted halls.” — Noel Murray, Los Angeles Times
directed by
Amélie van Elmbt, Maya Duverdier
Amélie van Elmbt, Maya Duverdier