The Lew Rudin Way
World Premiere

The Lew Rudin Way

| USA | 60 MINUTES | English
Documentary
In 2002, the intersection of Park Avenue and 52nd Street in New York City became Lew Rudin Way. For those not familiar with Lew's legacy, filmmaker David Hoffman walks us through the life of a man indelibly tied to the streets, buildings, and thoroughfares of his beloved New York City. Narrated by Sidney Poitier, The Lew Rudin Way is a loving homage to the man known as "Mr. New York" and to the city he called home. Born in 1927, Lew Rudin inherited the stewardship of his family's burgeoning real estate company Rudin Management. But when the city started to crumble during the economic crisic of the 1970s, Lew decided to combine his real estate acumen and his sense of civic duty to create the Association for a Better New York (ABNY) with his brother Jack. Through ABNY, Lew revitalized a city that was mired in an epidemic of crime, urban flight, and disinvestment. When he wasn't fighting urban crime or adding to the New York skyline, Lew was working on his infamous golf swing and creating a little tradition known as the New York City Marathon. Hoffman illuminates Lew's life through archival footage and interviews with Lew's friends and admirers, among them: Presidents, Senators, New York City Mayors, and Barbara Walters. Senator Clinton, a friend and admirer, said that before there was an actual Lew Rudin Way, there was a "Lew Rudin way of doing things," which was bringing business, labor, and government leaders together to solve the city's problems. For Lew, who died of cancer just a few days after September 11, nothing could be better than having a street and a documentary named after him.

Newsletter

Subscribe for festival news, exclusive offers, programming updates, and more!
Get Festival Updates