Streetfilms First Full Length Feature is HERE!

In case you didn’t know…Streetfilms’ Clarence Eckerson, Jr. had left shoulder replacement surgery at the beginning of 2026. But rather than sit on the shelf thru the Spring, he decided instead in the months leading up to the operation to film interviews up and down Queens’ world-renown 34th Avenue Open Street. The original idea was a 20+ minute look & celebration of the street’s 6th anniversary and its re-christening Paseo Park during his recovery. But the story was too rich and full of lessons for the world on how the power of community can achieve victory of cars and it became Streetfilms’ first full-length documentary feature.

During the Covid pandemic, New York City created an Open Street on 34th Avenue in Jackson Heights and Corona, Queens — which was one of the city’s pandemic epicenter, where thousands died. The Open Street quickly became a lifeline to residents desperate to exercise or socialize in a socially responsible way. But even as the pandemic faded, residents quickly realized that the 34th Avenue Open Street had become an essential amenity in a neighborhood with among the lowest amount of park space per-capita. 

Quickly, neighborhood activists rallied and got the administration of then-Mayor Bill de Blasio to commit to a full buildout of the Open Street into its current configuration: Paseo Park, which, as its name suggests, is a 1.5-mile long promenade for cycling, strolling and just connecting with neighbors.

Streetfilms offered a free sneak peek for 150+ lucky ticket holders put together by LaGuardia Community College and 34th Avenue Open Streets Coalition, the first large scale viewing for the general public.