A New York Covid Story
Director: Tal S. Shamir
Email:tshamir@newschool.edu
Synopsis
With rare footage of the New York City COVID-19 lockdown, the film evokes the feeling, experience & atmosphere of one of the most dramatic moments of the beginning of the 21st century. As the COVID-19 storm hits the great city, the film shifts from shock, hollowness, hope, and fear of the future.
The film is dedicated to the hard work and sacrifice of the medical staff, essential workers, and the people of New York.
Trailer
About the director
Tal S. Shamir, PhD, is an award-winning filmmaker, scholar, and author. His films have screened at international festivals, galleries, and museums, and he received a Gold Medal from the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences’ Student Academy Awards. He teaches directing, producing, and editing at The New School (NYC) and serves as faculty head producer of the university’s signature screening events, RUFF CUTS and FINE CUTS. Shamir’s dissertation was published by Palgrave Macmillan/Springer as a monograph, “Cinematic Philosophy” (2016), and has become a widely recognized contribution to the field of film-philosophy. His recent films include “The 1%” (Fantasia Film Festival, AmDocs); “A New York Covid Story” (Fantasia Film Festival, Brooklyn Film Festival); and the short-form documentary series “The Visual Revolution” (2025). Most recently, he released “Farewell MetroCard NYC: Time or Value?” (2025), a short-form episode exploring the unexpected philosophical question sparked by New York City’s MetroCard machines.