Kings Point
The Oscars® Winners & Nominees • 30m
Directed by Sari Gilman • Documentary • 2014 • 30 minutes
During the 1970s and 80s, thousands of New York’s primarily Jewish senior citizens migrated to Kings Point, a retirement community in Florida. Lured by blue skies, sunshine and the promise of richer social lives, they bought paradise for a mere $1,500 down payment. 2013 Academy Award® nominee for Best Documentary (Short Subject), KINGS POINT tracks the stories of five residents of this typical retirement complex who arrived decades ago with their health intact and spouses by their sides. Now that they and their community, comprised primarily of widowed women, face advanced age and mortality, paradise demands a higher price. Through candid interviews the film exposes the dynamic interplay of their desire for independence, need for community, and ambivalence toward growing old. Filmmaker and Emmy® nominee Sari Gilman deftly balances seriousness with humor, providing a bittersweet look at love, loss and self-preservation as well as a deeply empathetic portrait of aging in America and the American Dream’s last act.
"She intends Kings Point... to prompt discussions about people’s futures as they age. That’s a tough thing to get Americans to do, but watching Kings Point shows why it matters." - The New York Times
Up Next in The Oscars® Winners & Nominees
-
Changing Our Minds: The Story of Dr. ...
Directed by Richard Schmiechen • Documentary • With Patrick Stewart • 1991 • 75 minutes
Academy Award-winning director Richard Schmiechen (The Times of Harvey Milk) vividly portrays the life and work of a woman who changed both the medical community and society in Changing Our Minds: The Story o...
-
From Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in China
Directed by Murray Lerner • Documentary • 1979 • 84 minutes
This Oscar-winning film chronicles with affection and intelligence the great violinist’s 1979 visit to China. Stern was supposed to attend a rehearsal and give one recital but instead wound up playing a formal concert, touring two citie...
-
Roy Smeck: Wizard of the Strings
Directed by Peter Friedman • Documentary • With Roy Smeck, Gene Autry, Arthur Tracy, Mel Bay • 1984 • 27 minutes
In 1926, Warner Brothers premiered the first sync-sound film ever made. It featured a largely unknown vaudeville performer named Roy Smeck. The film showcased Roy’s virtuosity on the ...
