Amélie van Elmbt & Maya Duverdier Interview: Dreaming Walls
New York City's Hotel Chelsea has quite the history, and the new documentary Dreaming Walls captures its legacy as a modern landmark. The Hotel Chelsea is famous as a residence for many famed artists, authors, actors, and filmmakers, from Mark Twain to 2001: A Space Odyssey writer Arthur C. Clarke. Dreaming Walls is now in theaters and on VOD, and directors Amélie van Elmbt and Maya Duverdier use the film to shine a light on the modern residential population of the hotel within its historical context.
The Hotel Chelsea no longer takes new residents, but there are still many living in the hotel from before that change was enacted. Van Elmbt and Duverdier interview several of the Hotel Chelsea's long-staying residents in Dreaming Walls. In speaking to residents who continue to work in their artistic endeavors in the Hotel Chelsea after several decades, Dreaming Walls gives modern viewers a real look at just how much history the hotel has behind it.
RELATED: Is The Arconia A Real Building In New York City?
We speak to directors Amélie van Elmbt and Maya Duverdier on the making of Dreaming Walls, the genesis of the film, and the fascinating stories of the hotel they captured in making the documentary.
Screen Rant: How did Dreaming Walls first come about for both of you?
Maya Duverdier: So, four years ago, Amelie and I were at the Tribeca Film Festival, because Amelie her second movie shown there, and fortunately, when we were walking along 21st street, we came across the Hotel Chelsea, which we knew of from the book Just Kids. So we went in and checked it out, and we discovered that the place was totally upside down and had some big renovations. While we were in the lobby, we had the chance to meet Merle Lister, who is in
Read more on screenrant.com
