As filmmaker Emmett Adler was living in Williamsburg in 2016, the unanswered questions surrounding the then-impending L train shutdown inspired Adler to pick up his camera and record the unfolding transit emergency.
After more than three years of witnessing the drama unfold around New York’s subway system, Adler has premiered an extended preview of the”End of the Line” documentary to mark the launch of film’s the Kickstarter campaign.
Local leaders and North Brooklyn organizations featured in “End of the Line” include: NYC Councilman Antonio Reynoso, a native son of North Brooklyn’s “Los Sures” neighborhood and a sitting member of NYC’s Transportation Committee and the L Train Coalition – a group of North Brooklyn business owners, activists, and politicians who united to mitigate the effects of the L train shutdown.
The goal for Adler and his team is for the film to be released by 2021, but first a final round of interviews with national experts is needed to help tie in what’s happening locally with the national transit crisis:
For over 3 years, our dedicated team of experienced filmmakers has worked on our own dime. Now, additional funds are needed to complete character stories and to interview top transit experts. These crucial shoots will broaden the scope of our material and allow us to provide a comprehensive look at this critical issue.
While this $25k will not take us all the way over the finish line, it will allow us to complete production and put us in a strong position to court private investors and distributors.
The L train repairs are anticipated to wrap up this spring, but the implications of the localized crisis are national according to Adler. “American mass transit is failing from coast to coast and has fallen behind international standards,” the film’s mission statement reads. “END OF THE LINE’s mission is to highlight these problems, present innovative solutions, and push these urgent concerns to the forefront of our national dialogue.”