Philadelphia Films
Please visit our new updated Philadelphia Films webpage. 12/14/07
Videos from the Tri-College collection that feature the Philadelphia area.
Documentary Films | Feature Films
All Aboard for Philadelphia! : a Presentation of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania
Tour of the booming city and its suburbs from the late 1890's through the 1930's.
A dramatization of the dilemma faced by a Cambodian teenager when the demands of his gang conflict with those of his girlfriend and his own better judgment. Set against the backdrop of life in Asian South Philadelphia and teen hip-hop culture.
Weaves together the recollections of historians, entertainers and relatives of famous Philadelphians to tell the story of a city with a dynamic African-American community through archival footage and photographs.
On Mother's Day, 1985, city and state police converged in Cobb's Creek in the heart of Afro-American Philadelphia. By the next day, 61 homes were destroyed and 11 members of the MOVE organzation were dead. The Bombing of Osage Avenue considers the impact of this event on this Philadelphia community.
In this third episode of the Africans in America series, during the first 50 years of the new nation, freedmen and fugitive slaves in Philadelphia push the country to live up to the promises made in its Constitution.
The Canonization of Katherine Drexel
Katharine Drexel - born into one of Philadelphia's wealthiest families - gave up her wealthy, comfortable life for one of poverty, religion, service and abstinence. In 1891, she founded the Sisters of the Blessed Sacrament, which grew in her lifetime from an original 14 members to a sisterhood of over 500 women staffing 65 institutions nationwide.
Children of Cambodia, Children of War
An original theater piece created by Cambodia teen refugees and their peers. Combines traditional Cambodian dance, music and fighting sticks with the performers' personal stories of life during the Cambodian civil war, their escape to the United States, and their cultural dislocation in inner city Philadelphia.
The history of the church where George Washington, Ben Franklin and Betsy Ross all worshipped is a direct link to the faith that inspired the founders of our nation.
Discusses the history of Philadelphia's City Hall, 100 years old in 2001.
Intimate look at the embattled inhabitants of three troubled communities: East New York; North Philadelphia; and the Red Hook Housing Project in Brooklyn, NewYork.
Tells the personal stories of the dancers at Philadanco -- the Philadelphia-based African-American modern dance company.
Chronicles the Philadelphia Eagles fans and the team's 2004 season.
Face to Face : (It's Not What You Think)
Explores the high-school aged Asian-American experience in Philadelphia. Includes interviews with youths discussing the impact of racism, stereotypes, police/community relationships, and gangs on Philadelphia's teenage Asian-American population.
Long time residents of this old, close-knit working class community in Philadelphia reflect both upon the character and charm as well as the changes they have witnessed in Frankford during the span of their lives. Part conversation, part oral history and part folklore, Frankford stories interweaves history and current culture. 9 minutes.
Frontline : The Bombing of West Philly
Documents the confrontation between the city of Philadelphia and MOVE, a small radical group, which took place on May 13, 1985. Describes the complaints of the neighbors which were responded to by the police with tear gas, automatic weapons, and bombs.
"It's outrageous. It's funny. It's deadly serious. It's Gay Bingo, the monthly bingo game that has become the premiere AIDS fundraising event in the Philadelphia region.
Four years in the lives of four teenage girls living in South Philadelphia. Growing up female, the impact of class, sexism, their dreams and expectations.
The Greatest Moments in Philadelphia Sports History
1986 NFL Films video of Philadelphia sports highlights.
Philadelphia residents work with Habitat for Humanity to restore a city block in the Cathedral Park neighborhood of West Philadelphia.
A&E program highlights the ghost stories of Philadelphia.
Frederick Wiseman's documentary study of Northeast High School in Philadelphia in 1968. Deals with the ideology and values of a large urban high school as seen through encounters between students, teachers, and parents in guidance sessions, college counseling, discipline, faculty meetings, corridor patrol, and brings out the implications of education at a very large high school.
About the tent city erected by homeless Philadelphians in the summer of 1995 across from Independence Hall, and the subsequent move of the group to squatting in a nearby unused church.
How our Garden Grows: a Portrait of the After School Program at St. Gabriel's
The After School Program in Olney works with community organizations and artists to create an environment that addresses the multiple ways children and their families need support. This video documents how art and music are essential ingredients of their growing garden.
I am a Promise : the Children of Stanton Elementary School
Enter an inner-city school equipped with few resources and surrounded by a community where drugs, crime, and poor housing offer a bleak setting in which to grow up.
Look Forward and Carry On the Past: Stories from Philadelphia's Chinatown
Illustrates the strength and complexity of this urban neighborhood, and focuses on the role of folk arts and cultural expression in the community's continuing struggles for respect and survival.
A biography of virtuosa Marian Anderson from the time she sang spirituals as a child at the Union Baptist Church in Philadelphia to her retirement in 1965.
A documentation of the May 1, 1990, housing takeover staged by Dignity Housing, an organization of homeless and formerly homeless people working for permanent housing solutions to the shelter crisis.
Mediation: Untangling the Knot
The Mediation Program at Good Shepherd House is the only neighboorhood justice center in Philadelphia. This video explains the process of mediation for individuals and families.
Video diaries of four artists in Phildelphia who were commissioned by the city'sDept. of Recreation to paint murals in various locations to beautify and connect an art project with each neighborhood.
Nathaniel Kahn documents the life and works of his father, the American architect Louis Kahn.
A panoramic view of the region's most spectacular views, including Amish country, the Pine Barrens, the du Pont mansion, Atlantic City, the Delaware MemorialBridge, and the beaches of New Jersey.
Cheri Honkala, executive director of the Kensington Welfare Rights Union, tells the story of what's happened in her hometown, Philadelphia, and warns that theeconomic boom in the US could yet prove a disturbing model for the rest of the world.
Philadelphia The Holy Experiment
David Morse interviews a group of inspirational environmental activitists from various backgrounds who are dedicated to the return of "Farmadelphia".
Documentary from the point-of-view of Philadelphia welfare recipients, showing some of the devastating effects of welfare reform. Chronicles the growth of the Kensington Welfare Rights Union, a group of welfare recipients organizing to protest the cuts in their benefits and to work toward better living conditions for poor people who live in the Kensington neighborhood of Philadelphia.
Reading Terminal Market: A Celebration!
Describes the history of public markets and the Reading Terminal Market in particular. This tape shows the growth of Phildelphia and its markets dating from 1690 on.
Reconstruction, Inc. is a four year rehabilition program for convicted two-time violent offenders in the Philadelphia area. This documentary considers the effects of this program on its participants, their families, and the North Philadelphia community in which the participants reside.
Robert Downey's documentary about the Philadelphia park.
A look at Philadelphia's Paul Green School of Rock Music.
Popular sandwiches from coast to coast. Included are visits to Geno's, Pat's, George's and Chickies Italian Deli in Philadelphia.
Critically reviews five decades of land use planning in Pennsylvania, describing urban decay, suburban sprawl, and loss of farmland. Draws comparisons to communities in England, Florida, Oregon, and North Carolina.
The subterranean world of the Delaware Valley is a treasure trove of history and a hub of activity 24 hours a day. Historical photos and films set up the stories of these and other mysterious places, but the crux of the program consists of our cameras underground exploring these sites ourselves. Secrets Beneath the Streets takes viewers to places that are just under their feet, but scarcely imagined by the people who walk over them.
Squatters, the Other Philadelphia Story
Discusses the squatters movement, made up of people who live in abandoned houses through necessity and in order to force change in housing policy. Focuses on Philadelphia, where Gloria Giles becomes a leader and gains a national reputation.
A traditional Italian wedding is used as a backdrop to showcase the rich culture of South Philadelphia's Italian neighborhood in this documentary.
This tape tells the story of Johnson Homes, Philadelphia's first public housing development constructed under the Housing Authority, as seen through the eyes of its residents and public leaders. This video provides a view of the early days of public housing and tenant right's movement.
Spotlights the Philadelphia Mummers and their annual New Year's Day parade. The parade is a melting pot of pre-Colonial history, Vaudeville slapstick, cultural diversity, and 4-minute Broadway shows. Shot with no script, the Mummers' tale is told through revealing interviews, new and vintage footage, still photos, and music.
Things That Aren't There Anymore
A tribute to the places in Philadelphia and the Delaware Valley where people used to go to have fun.
This is Family: A Portrait of Congreso de Latinos Unidos
Highlights the work and services provided by this social service agency located in Philadelphia. Includes interviews with staff members and clients.
Thomas Eakins: Scenes From Modern Life
Coincides with the first major retrospective to be devoted to the artist in twenty years. Organized by the Philadelphia Museum of Art . . . it surveys for the first time the artist's full range of achievements in painting, photography, sculpture and drawing.
Youth United for Change of Woodrock, Pennsylvania considers the issue of high school attendance and dropout. Includes interviews with high school students at Edison High School in Philadelphia and shares the stories of three teenage dropouts.
In 1996, 50% of new cases of AIDS in Philadelphia were related to injection drug use. Prevention Point is committed to protecting the health and rights of drug users and sex workers and is Philadelphia's only provider of clean needle exchange.
Tocqueville and Beaumont visited Philadelphia in October 1831, where they stopped at Eastern State Penitentiary. Sean Kelley, program director of the Eastern State Penitentiary Historic Site, discusses the Quaker-based practice of solitary confinement at Eastern State.
TV or Not to Be? : Access is the Question
This production considers the mobilization of Philadelphia residents to block the relicensing of local commercial television stations. Compiling interviews with independent activist video makers and community organizers with the intent to inform community groups about their rights to media access.
Join Philadelphia media personality Bill "Wee Willie" Webber and architect and preservationist Hyman Myers as they take a 12-mile walking tour of Broad Street -- the longest, straightest urban street in the world. The tour begins at League Island at the southern end and continues to Cheltenham Avenue at Philadelphia's northern border. Includes discussions about The Navy Yard, St. Rita of Cascia Roman Catholic Church, The Civil War Rail Station, The Academy of Music, The Bellevue Stratford Hotel, The Union League, City Hall, Masonic Temple, Divine Lorraine Hotel, and Metropolitan Opera House.
Mental illness and mental retardation affects 1.7 million people in the United States today. This video highlights COMHAR, a non-profit health organization, which offers theraputic case management, vocation and residential therapy to people in the Philadelphia area.
Partly filmed at Haverford using "The Holy Experiment" portfolio of Violet Oakley; Includes Emma Lapsansky, Curator of the Quaker Collection.
Examines the industries that supported and defined Philadelphiain the 19th and early 20th centuries: ship yards; textile,railway, iron, steel and food factories; the brewery and publishing industries; and others.
Feature Films: films shot in and/or about the Philadelphia area. Some locations are listed.**
Academy of Music.
South Philadelphia, 63rd Street El Stop, Parkside Avenue, 46th and Market (a warehouse that once housed American Bandstand studios), Philadelphia House of Correction, City Hall, Gym at Woodrow Wilson High School in Northeast Philly, old PCC trolley.
Colonial Theater in Phoenixville, a diner in Downingtown, Samuel K. Barklay School in Phonexiville.
Wissahickon Bridge, City Hall, 30th St. Station, John Wannamaker's Department Store, Penns Landing, Port of History Building, Liberty Bell, Independence National Historic Park, Mummers, Delware Riverfront near the Port of History Building.
Fairmont Park, Upsala Mansion in Germantown
Snow White Diner at 2nd and Market, Indendence Hall, Spring Garden's Rohn & Hass building, Blessed Virgin Mary Church in Upper Darby, Colonial Theater at 11th and Moyamensing Streets.
Main Line, Isaac Clothier estate in Wynnewood, Wynnewood train station, Chestnut Street in Center City, Art Museum
Haverford College.
Philadelphian Bill Cosby's animated childhood adventures.
Eastern State Penitentiary, City Hall, Geno's Steaks.
About the Main Line's Biddle family (but shot on a studio lot.)
Franklin Field, Pat's Steaks, South Philly, Kensington, Frankford El
Forrest Theatre on Walnut Street, Havertown, Will Smith makes a cameo
Frankford El.
Chinatown, West Philly, Fairmont Park, Broad Street, Rittenhouse Square, South Street
Washington Sqaure, South Stree area
John Wannamaker's Department Store, Dorchester Apartments in Rittenhouse Square.
Germantown Avenue, Oak Lane
Rittenhouse Square, Jamaican Jerk Hut on South Street, Italian Market, Art Museum.
In an early segment: Ben Franklin Bridge, skyline, Delaware River, Spruce Street
North Philly, Broad Street, Germantown Ave, Liberty Theater near Temple University, Pier 78 on Delaware Ave, gas station at 8th and Norris
South Philly, Italian Market, Kensington, the Parkway, Phildelphia Museum of Art.
Art Museum, Spectrum
Rocky Statue, Parkway, Center City
Benjamin Frankline Bridge, Liberty Place, the Liberty Bell, Spectrum Sports Arena, 17th and Market, City Hall, University of Pennsylvania's Fine Arts Library, 19th and Chestnut (Denzel Washington's law office), The Raquet Club, 12th and Arch, Mt. Sinai Hospital, Famous Fourth Street Delicatessan Deli on Bainbridge Street.
City Hall, Center City, Pat's Steaks, Art Museum, Boathouse Row, Waterworks, Kelly Drive
City Hall, Undine Barge Club on Boat House Row in Fairmont Park, Old St. Augustine's Church (4th and Vine), Head House Square, Stoddart Fleischer Middle School (13th and Green), Striped Bass (15th and Walnut), 2302 St. Alban's Place, Delancy Street in Society Hill.
West Philly, Al's Love Lounge, Frankford El, Cambria Street
Chestnut Hill, Bob's Diner at Lyceum and Ridge Avenues.
City Hall (but most of the film is shot in Toronto.)
Schuykill River, Broad Street, Philadelphia Community College, Delancy Street, 30th Street Station, Bank Building at Broad & Sansom, Rittenhouse Square, Liberty Bell.
Wannamakers, City Hall, Eastern State Penitentiary.
South Philly
University of Pennsylvania's Franklin Field (33rd and South), Manayunk's Pretzel Park (Cotton and Cresson Streets.)
Holmsberg Prison, City Hall, Fabian, Tony Luke Jr., Sal Mazzota and Johnnie Hobbs Jr. appear in cameos
Chadds Ford in the Brandywine Valley
Bryn Mawr's own Taylor Hall (classrooms were used as "St. Mark's Academy") Waldron Mercy Academy in Lower Merion.
City Hall, Market Street, Lombardis Bread Shop on 9th St.
Reading Terminal Market, 30th Street Station, Lancaster County.
*Locations were identified with help from the following sources:
Barth, Jack. Roadside Hollywood: The Movie Lover's State-by-State Guide to Film Locations, Celebrity Hangouts, Celluloid Tourist Attractions, and More. Chicago : Contemporary Books, 1991.
Gelbert, Doug. Film and Television Locations: A State-by-State Guidebook to Moviemaking sites, excluding Los Angeles. Jefferson, N.C. : McFarland, 2002.
Gordon, William A. Shot on this Site: A Travelers Guide to the Places and Locations Used to Film Famous Movies and TV Shows. Secaucus, N.J. : Carol Pub. Group, 1995.
Reeves, Tony. The Worldwide Guide to Movie Locations. Chicago, Ill. : A Cappella, 2001.
Slifkin, Irv. Filmadelphia: A Celebration of a City's Movies. Moorestown, N.J.: Middle Atlantic Press, 2006.
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