In Jackson Heights (2015)

Presented as part of MoMA’s Immigrant Nation: People in Transit film series, In Jackson Heights is acclaimed documentary filmmaker Frederick Wiseman’s expansive portrait of one of New York City’s most vibrant and culturally diverse neighborhoods. The screening offers audiences a rare opportunity to experience the film on the big screen.

Filmed over nine weeks in Queens, the documentary immerses viewers in the daily life of Jackson Heights, where immigrants from across South Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, and dozens of other regions have built thriving communities. Through conversations in homes, businesses, schools, religious institutions, community meetings, and on neighborhood streets, Wiseman captures the hopes, struggles, and resilience of residents navigating life in one of the world’s most diverse urban communities.

Rather than relying on narration or interviews, the film unfolds through careful observation, revealing stories about immigration, identity, labor, gentrification, LGBTQ+ rights, small businesses, and civic activism. The result is a deeply human portrait of contemporary New York and the many cultures that shape it.

For South Asian New Yorkers, In Jackson Heights holds particular significance, documenting the neighborhood’s thriving Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, and Nepali communities alongside its many other immigrant populations. The film stands as one of the most comprehensive cinematic portraits ever made of Jackson Heights and its multicultural identity.