HBO’s “The Wire” was a drama series set in Baltimore Maryland and based on true events. The Sundance Channel’s new docu-series “Brick City” features actual people in the city of Newark, New Jersey. Created and directed by the award-winning filmmakers Mark Benjamin and Marc Levin, “Brick City” is a five-part documentary series that captures the daily drama of a community striving to become a better, safer, stronger place to live since the city’s 1967 riots.
The struggle to bring Newark to a place free of violence, poverty and corruption has been a long one. “Brick City” tells this story through many perspectives, one of them being the city’s current mayor Cory A. Booker. Mayor Booker is no stranger to the cameras.
His 2002 mayoral run for office pitted him up against five term incumbent mayor Sharpe James. The campaign was chronicled in the documentary “Street Fight,” which was nominated for an Academy Award. Booker finally took office in 2006 amidst assassination plots by the Bloods and has since then been governing the city and managing its high homicide rate has been a nonstop battle.
Acclaimed actor Forest Whitaker is the docu-series’ executive producer. Rapper Khari Mateen has also contributed to the project with the song “Brick By Brick,” featuring Dice Raw.
“Brick City” premieres Monday at 10 p.m. EDT on Sundance Channel and airs every night through Friday.
Check an excerpt from episode 1 – Summer is Ours below.
Download “Brick By Brick” here:
http://www.sundancechannel.com/brick-city/music/
Also check out http://www.brickcitythemovie.com/.
