The National Film Board's Highrise project is a "many-media" collaborative documentary project that aims to "to see how the documentary process can drive and participate in social change rather than just documenting it; and to help re-invent what it means to be an urban species in the 21st century." The Highrise project will create a variety of projects including installations, films, documentaries, and mixed-media projects (amongst other inspired projects).
The major project thus far is "OUT MY WINDOW: Interactive Views from the Global Highrise", "one of the world's first 360 degree documentaries, delivered entirely on the web". The 90 minute documentary spans 13 cities in 13 different languages from around the world. You can watch the whole thing via the NFB website, and I've embedded the trailer.
My naïve understanding of suburbs — a retreat for the middle classes — was a simplistic, outdated stereotype. The urban peripheries both horizontal and vertical are places overflowing with humanity, yet are often invisible to the drive-by eye, to the closed mind. — Katerina Cizek, director
"THE THOUSANDTH TOWER: Stories from inside a Toronto Suburban Highrise" is another Highrise project that should be of interest to anyone curious about urban life and the future of cities. This multi-media documentary tells the story of six Toronto residents living in suburban highrises (in Rexdale) using their own photographs and words. The two towers chosen are a part of Toronto's "Tower Renewal" project, which aims to revitalize the communities and buildings in some of Toronto's ignored corners.
I highly recommend people get onto the NFB website and check out the Highrise project directly, the site is quite impressive and immersive.
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