A little over two weeks ago, famed arcade Chinatown Fair closed down after the owners lost their lease on Mott Street, where it had resided for half a century. The owners have already opened up a replacement for the downtown mainstay in Sunset Park, called "Next Level Arcade." But you'll get one more chance to relive the last day of Chinatown Fair with a new documentary coming out soon, called ARCADE. (You can see a teaser trailer below)
ARCADE is a feature length documentary, which was filmed during CF's last day in business; the movie features interviews with Chinatown Fair regulars, and seeks to weave the story of the arcade around its final hours. Director Kurt P. Vincent wrote about the trailer on his website for the movie, in which he talks about the importance of the community at the arcade: "My goal is for the preview to show that the movie is about a community that called Chinatown Fair home. A subculture with a diverse group of people that all came together to create this amazing place called Chinatown Fair."
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Early trailers are a proven way for indie filmmakers to get financing. This is pretty common. However, since Vincent has been working with the Maysles institute, perhaps the film will be much like this??
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