THE CO-OP: THE KIDS OF DORIE MILLER
DIRECTOR: PAULINA DAVIS
A New Yorker examines her family’s roots in New York City’s first unsegregated housing co-op, finding and examining an old solution to the current affordable housing crisis.
PITCH + TEASER
VOTING OPENS MONDAY, APRIL 15 • 10AM PT
VOTING CLOSES WEDNESDAY, MAY 1 • 11:59PM PT
SYNOPSIS
THE CO-OP: THE KIDS OF DORIE MILLER follows Paulina Davis, a former education law/disability rights attorney, as she uncovers her family’s history at NYC’s pioneering unsegregated housing co-op, The Dorie Miller Housing Co-operative (“The Co-op”). Founded by Congressman Adam Clayton Powell Jr., this housing complex aimed to combat housing discrimination. Paulina’s journey leads her to her aunt Jackie, a resident from 1956 to 2016, who fondly recalls the close-knit community that embraced jazz legends like Jimmy Heath, Clark Terry, and Julian “Cannonball” Adderley.
It’s that sense of community Paulina searches for when moving for the sixth time in nine years in an unaffordable market. Despite The Co-op’s success, Paulina’s quest unveils systemic housing problems that cast shadows. Aunt Jackie’s 11-year struggle to claim her family apartment after her mother’s death in 2004 highlights such challenges. Then, in 2019, the city foreclosed on The Co-op during the Thomas family apartment’s sale.
Returning to her roots, Paulina connects with current and past residents fighting for The Co-op’s legacy and future. And Paulina’s journey compels her to challenge her ingrained notions about homeownership in a U.S. plagued by an affordable housing crisis
DIRECTORS’ STATEMENT
I’m the third generation in the Thomas family to grow up in The Co-op, so I have an authentic connection to the community and its legacy. Re-establishing relationships with my former neighbors through the making of this film has been affirming: The Co-op’s village shaped my values and who I am today, yet there’s still so much about its story that I don’t know. I’m making this documentary to claim that rich history for myself, my family, and my hometown.
In addition, as a New Yorker, I’m alarmed by what we’re losing when affordable housing options disappear each year. It’s not just a single family’s security that’s at stake but the fabric of entire communities. I have faced housing challenges in the last 10 years living in N.Y.C., where buying a home feels inaccessible due to the high costs associated with homeownership. Those experiences and The Co-op’s recent foreclosure led me to this project.
I’m a first-time filmmaker, but I’ve always been a storyteller. For 12 years, I used storytelling in my work as an attorney and educator. Documentary filmmaking is a creative way for me to engage in social commentary and advocacy.
PROJECT INFO.
| LENGTH (MINUTES): | 86 |
| LANGUAGE: | English |
| START OF PRODUCTION: | August 09, 2020 |
| EXPECTED DELIVERY: | August 31, 2025 |
| SHOOTING FORMAT: | Digital |
| SHOOTING LOCATIONS: | New York City, Atlanta, North Carolina |
| TOTAL BUDGET: | $758,583. |
| PRODUCTION COMPANY: | Unit 6 Productions, Greener Media |
| PRODUCTION COUNTRY: | United States |
| CONFIRMED PARTNERS: | Firelight Media |
| BUDGET GAP: | $638,305. |
| CURRENT PROJECT STATUS: | In production |
PITCH TEAM
PAULINA DAVIS
DIRECTOR • PRODUCER
PAULINA DAVIS is a storyteller, attorney, and educator from New York City. She is a first-time filmmaker and a 2022-24 Firelight Media Documentary Lab Fellow. Paulina holds a juris doctor cum laude from Howard University School of Law and a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Delaware. She currently resides in Queens.
CHANELLE APONTE PEARSON
PRODUCER
CHANELLE APONTE PEARSON is an award-winning independent filmmaker from The Bronx, New York. She is executive producer for the Peabody Award-winning HBO series Random Acts of Flyness and served as consulting producer for the Independent Lens documentary Down a Dark Stairwell (2020). As director, Chanelle is most recognized for the Gotham Award-winning digital series 195 Lewis. Chanelle is currently producing THE CO-OP: THE KIDS OF DORIE MILLER, a feature-length documentary that examines the ongoing affordable housing crisis through the lens of New York City’s first non-segregated housing cooperative.