IN CINEMA
Thursday, November 20th, 2025 at 7PM
MADE YOU LOOK: H20 (HIP-HOP ODYSSEY)
THE SIXTH BOROUGH
Jason Pollard, 2025, 70 min.
Co-presented with Hip-Hop Education Center
This vibrant documentary explores Long Island's indelible yet often overlooked impact on hip-hop's evolution, presented through the voices of the pioneering artists who shaped the genre's expansion beyond its urban roots. The film reveals how the suburban landscape of Long Island — characterized by single-family homes, expansive greenery and diverse schools — provides a striking contrast to city life, inspiring a unique sound that broadened hip-hop's boundaries and appeal. While Black families could relocate to what seemed like a suburban utopia, they were not immune to the persistent challenges of racism, drugs and violence, resulting in art that both celebrated and critiqued their surroundings.
Through rich archival performance footage, news clips and compelling interviews with scene originators, the film crafts an engaging and informative exploration of how this "sixth borough" created space for new voices within hip-hop culture. The documentary skillfully balances its celebration of Long Island's musical contributions with an unflinching examination of the false promises of suburban life for Black families, providing essential historical context for understanding both the scene's formation and its enduring influence. For music lovers, cultural historians and New York aficionados alike, THE SIXTH BOROUGH offers an enlightening journey through a crucial chapter in hip-hop's evolution, demonstrating that the genre would not be what it is today without the voices emerging from these suburban communities. The film not only preserves an important musical legacy but also serves as a powerful reminder of how art can transcend geographical and societal limitations. —Jarod Neece
Post-screening discussion with director Jason Pollard
Tickets: $15 General Admission / $7 Reduced Price
Director JASON POLLARD’s involvement in the film industry began as a young child when he accompanied his father, acclaimed film producer/editor Sam Pollard, to different edit rooms as Sam magically turned strips of celluloid into complex and wonderful stories. He graduated from the Tisch School of the Arts with a BA in Film/TV and a MA in Cinema Studies.
Since graduating, he has worked his way up from working on documentary films and tv series to editing many acclaimed documentary films including 2007’s Pete Seeger: The Power of Song, Sing Your Song which premiered at the 2011 Sundance Film Festival, Slavery By Another Name which premiered at the 2012 Sundance Film Festival and the Netflix documentary Get Me Roger Stone which premiered at the 2017 Tribeca Film Festival.
Since then, he has edited on doc-series like WHO KILLED MALCOLM X and RAPTURE for Netflix, and worked with Henry Louis Gates on his BLACK CHURCH AND BLACK GOSPEL series for PBS, Byron Hurt’s LEE AND LIZA’S FAMILY TREE for PBS/NOVA, co/edited LOUIS ARMSTRONG’S BLACK AND BLUES for Apple TV, and transitioned to directing with the documentary OL’ DIRTY BASTARD: THE TALE OF TWO DIRTYS for A+E Networks.
Executive Producer JULIAN PETTY is a music executive, attorney and entrepreneur. He is a lifetime Hip-Hop fanatic who grew up with dreams of becoming a rap star. Julian successfully shifted the trajectory of his engagement in the business and has had the opportunity to represent some of his childhood heroes including De La Soul, Slick Rick and A Tribe Called Quest. Julian lives in Los Angeles, CA with his wife and two daughters. In addition to his day job at Warner Music, he operates a hip-hop ice-cream shop, ALL CHILL, with his wife. Julian is from the Strong Island town of Amityville.
Executive Producer ANDREW THEODORAKIS is an Emmy and Pulitzer Prize nominated journalist based in New York. A lifelong music enthusiast, Andrew grew up immersed in the culture and sounds that defined a generation. Driven by a love for storytelling and a desire to preserve the history of the music that shaped his youth, he began developing “The Sixth Borough” a decade ago. Andrew returned to his Strong Island home of Stony Brook to raise his daughters Charlotte and Amelia.
JENNIFER OLLMAN (Producer) is a Primetime Emmy-nominated documentary producer. Her projects include 6 DAYS TO AIR (Comedy Central), ALL THIS PANIC (Tribeca), HOW’S YOUR NEWS? (MTV), TO BE DESTROYED (Tribeca/MSNBC), ¡CASA BONITA MI AMOR! (Tribeca and Telluride/MTV Documentary Films) and PREDATORS (Sundance/MTV Documentary Films). Jen founded and heads Sweet Relief Productions with director Arthur Bradford.
KATIE TABER (Producer) is an Emmy-award winning documentary producer and director who started her career working with PBS Frontline and has gone on to produce and direct more than a dozen independent films that have premiered at Sundance, Tribeca, Toronto International Film Festival, Hot Docs and Full Frame and streamed on HBO, Hulu, PBS, MSNBC and Amazon, among others. After leaving Minnesota for Brooklyn, Taber thought she’d never be back in the suburbs, but has for 10 years now happily called the Long Island town of Sea Cliff home.
