Purple Television
[January 23 2014] : Television
An excerpt from Dark Days (2000) by Marc Singer
To coincide with the screening of the film and Q&A with the British director Marc Singer taking place tonight at the ICA, London, watch the first 10 minutes of the critically acclaimed documentary Dark Days (2000). The 94 min black and white documentary delves into the subterranean world of the self-sufficient homeless community living in an abandoned section of the New York City underground railway system called Freedom Tunnel, stretching along the subway artery from Penn Station to Harlem. Struck by the growing number of homeless in Manhattan first-time filmmaker Marc Singer decided to document their subterranean existence as a means to help them financially. Lauded at the SXSW and Sundance film festivals the film marks a turning point in documentary film making due to it’s raw, powerful, and compassionate storytelling. Creating an original cinematic portrait of their lives he allows the community to share stories of their everyday – from finding food, taking care of their pets, and grooming to socialising. With a musical score from the legendary DJ Shadow we encounter their personal tales whilst confronting the very real rising state of poverty.
Director Q&A at the ICA, London
Fri 24 Jan, 6.30pm
Dark Days, dir Mark Singer, US 2000, 94 mins
