Thursday, May 27, 2010

Swan song for Coney

The latest effort to jumpstart Coney Island’s future will hit this weekend with the opening of Luna Park — but one filmmaker is still trying to record the hardscrabble amusement district’s past.

For the past two years, Crown Heights filmmaker J.L. Aronson has been working on the documentary “Last Summer at Coney Island” (see the trailer below).

As the name suggests, the film is a swan song for Coney Island, documenting Astroland during its last few seasons — when city planners and the private developer Thor Equities sparred over differing visions for “saving” Coney Island.

Today, of course, that battle is over: the city won, and Astroland’s successor, Luna Park, will open this weekend. But will Coney Island really have a bright future? That’s still unclear.

Aronson hopes that a look back into history will help answer that question — but his film isn’t fully done. He still needs about $7,000 to to really polish it and submit it to festivals, which explains his timely benefit screening on May 30 at UnionDocs in Williamsburg.

“It will happen, one way or the other, but it depends on the many, many Coney Island fans to pitch in,” said Aronson. “The Coney Island that everyone has known for so long is going to vanish, so it needs to be documented.”

“Last Summer at Coney Island” benefit at UnionDocs [322 Union Ave. at Maujer Street in Williamsurg, (718) 395-7902], May 30 at 7:30 pm. Tickets $9-$20 (sliding scale donation). For info, visit www.lastsummeratconeyisland.com.


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