Pacific Street Films is a documentary film

Documentary film

Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...

 production company founded in Brooklyn

Brooklyn

Brooklyn is the most populous of New York City's five boroughs, with nearly 2.6 million residents, and the second-largest in area. Since 1896, Brooklyn has had the same boundaries as Kings County, which is now the most populous county in New York State and the second-most densely populated...

, New York

New York

New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...

 in 1969 by anarchists Joel Sucher and Steven Fischler. They have produced more than 100 films.

Pacific Street Films is most notable for its film Red Squad (1971), a documentary about the notorious New York City Police Department

New York City Police Department

The New York City Police Department , established in 1845, is currently the largest municipal police force in the United States, with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City...

 red squad

Red squad

In the United States, Red Squads were police intelligence units that specialized in infiltrating, conducting counter-measures and gathering intelligence on political and social groups during the twentieth century. Dating as far back as the Haymarket Riot in 1886, Red Squads became common in larger...

 in operations in the 1960s and 70s, and Frame-Up: The Imprisonment of Martin Sostre (1973), a documented account of the arrest of a radical African American

African American

African Americans are citizens or residents of the United States who have at least partial ancestry from any of the native populations of Sub-Saharan Africa and are the direct descendants of enslaved Africans within the boundaries of the present United States...

 bookstore owner Martin Sostre

Martin Sostre

Martin Ramirez Sostre is an American activist.He served time in Attica prison during the early 1960s, where he embraced doctrines as diverse as Black Muslimism, Black Nationalism, Internationalism, and finally anarchism. In 1966 Sostre opened the Afro-Asian Bookstore in the black ghetto of...

 in Buffalo, New York

Buffalo, New York

Buffalo is the second most populous city in the state of New York, after New York City. Located in Western New York on the eastern shores of Lake Erie and at the head of the Niagara River across from Fort Erie, Ontario, Buffalo is the seat of Erie County and the principal city of the...

.

In 2004 the Museum of Modern Art

Museum of Modern Art

The Museum of Modern Art is an art museum in Midtown Manhattan in New York City, on 53rd Street, between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It has been important in developing and collecting modernist art, and is often identified as the most influential museum of modern art in the world...

 hosted a career retrospective on Pacific Street Films.

Filmography

Year	Title	Notes
1970	Inciting to Riot	Student film. Covers actions of Transcendental Students Transcendental Students Transcendental Students was a student activist and anarchist group created in 1969 at NYU in New York City. Its motto and philiosophy was "insurrection through happiness".... . Grand prize winner at the National Student's Association Film Festival.
1971	Ipimpi	Independent documentary about police infiltration of the Black Panther Party Black Panther Party The Black Panther Party wasan African-American revolutionary leftist organization. It was active in the United States from 1966 until 1982.... .
1971	Surveillance: Who's Watching?	An investigation of police surveillance of political dissidents around the country. Produced for National Educational Television.
1972	Red Squad	An Independent documentary investigating the surveillance activities of the New York City Police Department New York City Police Department The New York City Police Department , established in 1845, is currently the largest municipal police force in the United States, with primary responsibilities in law enforcement and investigation within the five boroughs of New York City...  and the FBI.
1974	Frame-up! The Imprisonment of Martin Sostre	Investigative documentary on the wrongful imprisonment of black activist bookstore owner Martin Sostre Martin Sostre Martin Ramirez Sostre is an American activist.He served time in Attica prison during the early 1960s, where he embraced doctrines as diverse as Black Muslimism, Black Nationalism, Internationalism, and finally anarchism. In 1966 Sostre opened the Afro-Asian Bookstore in the black ghetto of... .
1975	The Marijuana Revolution	Thirty-minute investigative documentary. Produced for WNBC-TV.
1975	Politics and Police in Stamford	Thirty-minute investigative documentary. Produced for WNBC-TV.
1977	Voices From Within	A documentary produced in collaboration with a group of long-term women inmates at the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women Bedford Hills Correctional Facility for Women is a prison for women in Bedford Hills in the Town of Bedford, Westchester County, New York, USA. Bedford Hills, the only New York State Department of Correctional Services women's maximum security prison, is the largest women's prison in New York State... , New York. Funded by the NYS Council on the Arts.
1977	The Grand Jury: An Institution Under Fire	An investigation of grand jury Grand jury A grand jury is a type of jury that determines whether a criminal indictment will issue. Currently, only the United States retains grand juries, although some other common law jurisdictions formerly employed them, and most other jurisdictions employ some other type of preliminary hearing...  abuse. Broadcast on PBS.
1980	Free Voice of Labor: The Jewish Anarchists	Documentary on the last survivors of the Jewish Anarchist movement. Supported by the Guggenheim Foundation and CPB. Broadcast on PBS.
1981	Anarchism in America Anarchism in America (film) Anarchism in America is a 1983 documentary, directed by Steven Fischler and Joel Sucher, and produced by Pacific Street Films. It has been re-released by AK Press to DVD. The film begins by explaining the filmmakers' interest in anarchism based on their involvement in the group Transcendental...	Feature-length documentary on anarchism Anarchism Anarchism is generally defined as the political philosophy which holds the state to be undesirable, unnecessary, and harmful, or alternatively as opposing authority in the conduct of human relations... . Funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
1983	The Cancer War	An investigation into the politics of cancer Cancer Cancer , known medically as a malignant neoplasm, is a large group of different diseases, all involving unregulated cell growth. In cancer, cells divide and grow uncontrollably, forming malignant tumors, and invade nearby parts of the body. The cancer may also spread to more distant parts of the...  research. Broadcast on PBS.
1983	I Promise To Remember: Frankie Lymon and The Teenagers	The rise and fall of Rock ‘n Roll’s first cross-over group. Broadcast on PBS.
1984	Man's Best Friends	A one-hour investigation of the use and abuse of animals in medical experiments Animal testing Animal testing, also known as animal experimentation, animal research, and in vivo testing, is the use of non-human animals in experiments. Worldwide it is estimated that the number of vertebrate animals—from zebrafish to non-human primates—ranges from the tens of millions to more than 100 million...  and product testing. Produced for Frontline. Broadcast on PBS.
1984	Albert Szent-Gyorgyi: A Special Gift	A portrait of the Nobel laureate. Produced for the National Foundation for Cancer Research.
1985 - 1988	Salute to Newark Take Me Back To Dear Old Newark	Produced for WNET's Metropolitan Division. Eight 30-second spots and a 30-minute historical documentary.
1988	First City	Produced segments for this WNYC magazine series on New York City: "Tugs," "Brooklyn Bridge," "Homeless," "Arson Squad," "Parking"
1989	United Nations Peacekeeping	Educational film produced for the United Nations United Nations The United Nations is an international organization whose stated aims are facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human rights, and achievement of world peace... .
1990	Blue Helmets: The Story of U. N. Peacekeeping	A look at the work of UN Peacekeepers Peacekeeping Peacekeeping is an activity that aims to create the conditions for lasting peace. It is distinguished from both peacebuilding and peacemaking....  around the world. Narrated by Jesse Jackson Jesse Jackson Jesse Louis Jackson, Sr. is an African-American civil rights activist and Baptist minister. He was a candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination in 1984 and 1988 and served as shadow senator for the District of Columbia from 1991 to 1997. He was the founder of both entities that merged to... . 90-minute PBS Special.
1990	Martin Scorsese Directs	Profile of director Martin Scorsese Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film historian. In 1990 he founded The Film Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to film preservation, and in 2007 he founded the World Cinema Foundation...  on the set of Goodfellas Goodfellas Goodfellas is a 1990 American crime film directed by Martin Scorsese. It is a film adaptation of the 1986 non-fiction book Wiseguy by Nicholas Pileggi, who co-wrote the screenplay with Scorsese... . Produced for American Masters. Broadcast on PBS.
1991	Lincoln-Douglas Debates	One hour documentary on the students involved in the annual New York City debate competition. Broadcast on Thirteen/WNET in June 1991.
1991	Jessica Lange: It's Only Make-Believe	Profile of the actress on the set of Cape Fear Cape Fear (1991 film) Cape Fear is a 1991 thriller film directed by Martin Scorsese and a remake of the 1962 film of the same name. It stars Robert De Niro, Nick Nolte, Jessica Lange and Juliette Lewis and features cameos from Gregory Peck, Robert Mitchum and Martin Balsam, who all appeared in the 1962 original film... . Produced for HBO/Cinemax.
1992	Oliver Stone: Inside/Out	Feature length profile of director Oliver Stone Oliver Stone William Oliver Stone is an American film director, producer and screenwriter. Stone became well known in the late 1980s and the early 1990s for directing a series of films about the Vietnam War, for which he had previously participated as an infantry soldier. His work frequently focuses on... . Produced for Showtime and the BBC.
1992	Lincoln-Douglas Debates	One hour documentary on the students involved in the annual New York City debate competition. Broadcast on Thirteen/WNET in June 1992.
1993	Lincoln-Douglas Debates	One hour documentary on the students involved in the annual New York City debate competition. Broadcast on Thirteen/WNET.
1993	Peacemaking	Educational program produced for the United Nations.
1993	Calculating Change	Examination of the campaign to overhaul math and science education in the US Hosted by Al Roker Al Roker Albert Lincoln "Al" Roker, Jr. is an American television meteorologist as well as an actor and book author. He is best known as being the weather anchor on NBC's Today. On Monday, July 20, 2009, he began co-hosting his new morning show, Wake Up with Al, on The Weather Channel, which airs weekdays... . Broadcast on PBS. Produced for the Urban League and Thirteen/WNET.
1995	Schools For Sale: Advertising in the Classroom	A critical look at Channel One News Channel One News Channel One News is a 12 minute news program for teens broadcast via satellite to middle schools and high schools across the United States. Channel One is owned by Alloy Media + Marketing and based in New York City.-Program History:... , the for-profit service that brings advertising into the classroom under the guise of educational programming. Hosted by Lewis Black Lewis Black Lewis Niles Black is an American stand-up comedian, author, playwright, social critic and actor. He is known for his comedy style, which often includes simulating a mental breakdown, or an increasingly angry rant, ridiculing history, politics, religion, trends and cultural phenomena... . Produced for the Walt Whitman Center for the Culture and Politics of Democracy at Rutgers University Rutgers University Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American... .
1995	In Search of Peace	Documentary special on the relationship of the United States and the United Nations, on the world organization's 50th anniversary. Narrated by Paul Newman Paul Newman Paul Leonard Newman was an American actor, film director, entrepreneur, humanitarian, professional racing driver and auto racing enthusiast... . Broadcast on the Turner Broadcasting System.
1995	To The Ends of The Earth	A history of the American Museum of Natural History American Museum of Natural History The American Museum of Natural History , located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States, is one of the largest and most celebrated museums in the world... 's fossil-hunting expeditions. Part of the museum's permanent display.
1996	Troubled Waters, Vanishing Treasures	Produced for the American Museum of Natural History American Museum of Natural History The American Museum of Natural History , located on the Upper West Side of Manhattan in New York City, United States, is one of the largest and most celebrated museums in the world... ’s Endangered Species installation.
1996	Final Take: The Fertility Scandal	An investigation of the scandal at the University of California at Irvine Fertility Center, involving the illegal use of unapproved fertility drugs and the theft of eggs and embryos from patients. Broadcast on Lifetime Television Lifetime Television Lifetime Television, often referred to as Lifetime TV, or most commonly, Lifetime, is an American cable television specialty channel devoted to movies, sitcoms and dramas, all of which are either geared toward women or feature women in lead roles. The cable network is owned by A&E Television Networks... .
1996	Sidney Lumet: An American Director	A portrait of film director Sidney Lumet Sidney Lumet Sidney Lumet was an American director, producer and screenwriter with over 50 films to his credit. He was nominated for the Academy Award as Best Director for 12 Angry Men , Dog Day Afternoon , Network and The Verdict... , photographed during the production of Night Falls on Manhattan Night Falls on Manhattan Night Falls on Manhattan is a 1997 American crime drama film directed by Sidney Lumet, set and filmed on location in New York City. Its screenplay is by Lumet, based on a novel by author Robert Daley entitled: Tainted Evidence... . Produced for Paramount Pictures and Spelling Entertainment.
1998	Intimate Portrait: Jessica Lange	Documentary profile of Jessica Lange Jessica Lange Jessica Phyllis Lange is an American actress who has worked in film, theatre and television. The recipient of several awards, including two Academy Awards, four Golden Globes and one Emmy, Lange is regarded as one of the première female actors of her generation.Lange was discovered by producer... . Broadcast on Lifetime Television.
1998	Intimate Portrait: Pamela Harriman	Documentary profile on the life Pamela Harriman Pamela Harriman Pamela Beryl Harriman , also known as Pamela Churchill Harriman, was an English-born socialite who was married and linked to important and powerful men. In later life, she became a political activist for the United States Democratic Party and a diplomat... , socialite and former Ambassador to France. Broadcast October 1998 on Lifetime Television.
1998	The Warrior Tradition	Five one-hour documentaries highlighting warrior cultures throughout history: Samurai, Shogun, The French Foreign Legion, The Gurkhas and The Green Berets. History Channel broadcast.
1998	The Other Half ... Revisited	Documentary comparing social conditions today with those that Jacob Riis Jacob Riis Jacob August Riis was a Danish American social reformer, "muckraking" journalist and social documentary photographer. He is known for using his photographic and journalistic talents to help the impoverished in New York City; those impoverished New Yorkers were the subject of most of his prolific...  documented in 1890 in his famous work, How the Other Half Lives How the Other Half Lives How the Other Half Lives: Studies Among the Tenements of New York was an early publication of photojournalism by Jacob Riis, documenting squalid living conditions in New York City slums in the 1880s... . Funded by the Ford Foundation and CPB. Broadcast on WNET-TV.
1999	Exploring the World of Music	A 12-part television series, with a study guide and 3-set audio CD package, highlighting the principles of music, seen through a world music perspective. An international co-production with primary support from the Annenberg Project of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
1999	Crime Stories	Three one-hour documentaries about notable trials from the past: The Jeffrey MacDonald Murder Case, Richard Speck: Born to Raise Hell, and The Trial of the Chicago 8. Broadcast on Court TV.
1999	From Swastika to Jim Crow	Independent documentary exploring the little-known story of Jewish refugee scholars teaching at historically black colleges Historically Black Colleges and Universities Historically black colleges and universities are institutions of higher education in the United States that were established before 1964 with the intention of serving the black community....  before and during the Second World War. PBS broadcast 2001.
2000	Martial Arts: The Real Story	A two-hour special that explores a little-known world of secret martial techniques. From the mist shrouded hills of China to small backwater villages in Southern India, fighting techniques have been developed that require silent devotion, zealous commitment and above all, secrecy. Broadcast on The Learning Channel and ITV (UK).
2001	Speed Traps	This fast-paced, high-energy show takes an in-depth look at the history and technology of speed detection, and the equally sophisticated attempts at speed detection avoidance. Broadcast on The Learning Channel.
2002	Bravo Profile Nick Nolte	One hour documentary portrait of actor Nick Nolte Nick Nolte Nicholas King "Nick" Nolte is an American actor whose career has spanned over five decades, peaking in the 1990s when his commercial success made him one of the most popular celebrities of that decade.-Early life:... .
2002	GoodFellas and JFK	Two productions for the AMC's "Back Story" series — Martin Scorsese Martin Scorsese Martin Charles Scorsese is an American film director, screenwriter, producer, actor, and film historian. In 1990 he founded The Film Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to film preservation, and in 2007 he founded the World Cinema Foundation... 's "GoodFellas," and Oliver Stone's "JFK." The programs take an intimate look at the story behind the story, revealing how these groundbreaking films struck a chord with audiences worldwide.
2002	The Economics Classroom	A teacher development workshop consisting of eight one-hour videos, website and educational materials. For Annenberg/CPB.
2004	City of Refuge	Installation piece produced for the Museum of Jewish Heritage to accompany an exhibition about Jewish immigration to New York City.
2005	Building Wealth and Risky Business	A series of educational videotapes designed to teach the fundamentals of financial literacy to High School and College students. Produced in collaboration with the National Council on Economic Education.
2006	In Debt We Trust	A Globalvision Production dealing with the widespread problem of why Americans are being caught up in the “debt trap” Joel Sucher produced the segment dealing with personal bankruptcy Personal bankruptcy Personal bankruptcy is a procedure which, in certain jurisdictions, allows an individual to declare bankruptcy. In other jurisdictions, bankruptcies are reserved for corporations.-Canada:... .

External links

• Pacific Street Films website