EXCLUSIVE: The PBS series VOCES has acquired U.S. broadcast and streaming rights to Slumlord Millionaire, the David vs. Goliath story of people fighting back against the skyrocketing cost of rent in New York City.
The film – winner of the Audience Award at DOC NYC in November — will open in theaters next spring, before the VOCES streaming and broadcast launch on PBS in summer 2025. Steph Ching and Ellen Martinez directed the feature documentary, with Oscar nominee and Emmy winner Stanley Nelson and Emmy nominee Marcia Smith and VOCES‘ Sandie Viquez Pedlow serving as executive producers.
“Slumlord Millionaire is an intimate portrait of the people profoundly impacted by the rapid gentrification sweeping across New York City,” notes a description of the film. “As these neighborhoods undergo transformation, the film highlights the struggle of a group of fearless residents, activists, and nonprofit attorneys across the city waging the fight for the fundamental right to retain their homes against corrupt landlords and developers who prioritize profits above all.”
Ching and Martinez said in a statement, “We are thrilled and honored to partner with VOCES and bring Slumlord Millionaire to PBS viewers. Even though the film is based in New York, the housing crisis and how people are affected is a nationwide issue. We hope viewers gain a new perspective on gentrification’s human cost.”
Sandie Viquez Pedlow, executive producer of VOCES, said, “Slumlord Millionaire puts a human face on a very complex issue, introducing viewers to people on the front lines of the campaign for fair and affordable housing. We know this film will resonate with viewers who are experiencing this issue in their local communities and we look forward to its national premiere on VOCES next summer.”
After Spring, LLC
The documentary follows multiple participants: “The Bravo family who have been in a legal battle with their landlord for 15 years; Janina Davis, a former supermodel who is trying to reclaim her home after a deed theft scam; Ren Ping Chen, a resident of Manhattan Chinatown who fears his historic community may disappear after the construction of four luxury towers; and Moumita Ahmed whose city council campaign was viciously targeted by real estate developer billionaires.”
Directors Ellen Martinez (left) and Steph Ching
Andrew Toth/Getty Images for Tribeca Film Festival
The filmmakers have been based in New York City for almost 20 years and have experienced firsthand the affordability crisis of renting in the city.
“When we started doing research for this film in 2019, we were disturbed to hear about the extremely predatory tactics and blatant discrimination that some landlords use to harass and displace long-term rent paying tenants,” Ching and Martinez said in a directors’ statement. “Not only were some landlords turning off essential services like heat or hot water, ignoring repairs, ignoring infestations and other harassment, but these tactics were widespread and in direct correlation with gentrification in neighborhoods across the city. It seemed illegal, but because of well-worn loopholes, they were able to get away with it.”
The filmmakers added, “We wanted to make a film that explores the causes of these issues and the systems that allow this to continue to happen. Each story in the film could have been their own separate documentary but we wanted to include them together to show the magnitude and interconnectivity of this crisis.”
Slumlord Millionaire, a presentation of Latino Public Broadcasting’s VOCES, is a co-production of After Spring LLC, Latino Public Broadcasting and Firelight Media in association with PBS, directed by Steph Ching and Ellen Martinez; executive produced by Sandie Vinquez Pedlow, Stanley Nelson, and Marcia Smith; produced by Ellen Martinez, Steph Ching, and Nicole Tsien. Steph Ching, Sarah Garrahan, and Francesca Kustra edited the film. The director of photography is Jeffrey Johnson, with original music by Katy Jarzebowski.