The Price of Renewal

This documentary examines complex issues of community development, philanthropy and civic engagement by chronicling the long-term redevelopment of an older, deteriorating neighborhood called City Heights, often referred to as the Ellis Island of San Diego. The film probes both the potential and the pitfalls of public/private partnerships in addressing the problems of inner city decay, as well as the thorny questions raised by the gentrification of multicultural urban neighborhoods.

Directed, Produced & Written by Paul Espinosa
Narrated by Linda Hunt
Edited by Maria Zeiss
A Production of Espinosa Productions

Awards

National PBS broadcast; Official Selection, Sacramento International Film Festival, Winner of Best Environmental Vision Award and Nominated for Best Editing and Best Long Form Documentary; Distributed by Berkeley Media and PBS Home Video; Production funds from PBS, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, The Ford Foundation, Skirball Foundation, Latino Public Broadcasting, California Council for the Humanities, the Rockefeller Foundation, ITVS