Free West Coast Premiere of New 34th Avenue Streetfilms Documentary on August 26 in Long Beach

Many Streetsblog L.A. readers are familiar with Clarence Eckerson, the wizard behind Streetfilms‘ thousand-plus short livable streets documentaries. For more than two decades, Eckerson’s work has been instrumental in making livability practices – from Ciclovía to parking reform to protected bike lanes – visible, accessible, and inspiring. A lot of his work shows off his New York City; he has also traveled and shared many parts of the world, including Los Angeles, Colombia, China, Mexico, Canada, and many other locales.

Eckerson has now created an inspiring feature length documentary: Close Encounters of the 34th Avenue Kind.

You’re invited to the West Coast premiere of Close Encounters of the 34th Avenue Kind coming up in a couple weeks in Long Beach, hosted by PlacemakingUS, Long Beach Fresh, Walk Long Beach and AARP.

It’s free, but you need to RSVP to reserve your spot.

The screening will take place on Wednesday, August 26 at 10 a.m. at the Art Theatre at 2025 E. 4th Street in Long Beach. The screening will be followed by a Q&A with Jim Burke, the “Mayor of 34th Avenue,” Krista Nightengale of the Better Block Foundation, and Alex Jung of City Fabrick.

Reserve your free spot via eventbrite.

For more about the film, enjoy this interview with Eckerson, and a couple of teaser trailers interspersed below.

SBLA: Your film focuses on one location: 34th Avenue in Queens. Could you describe that project? What’s the neighborhood like?

Clarence Eckerson: The 34th Avenue Open Street in Jackson Heights, Queens was born during the very early part of the 2020 pandemic as a way to give people in a council district with very little green space a chance to get out, get exercise and get fresh air. Jackson Heights and Corona were two of the hardest hit neighborhoods in the entire nation.

The first incarnation of the 34th Avenue project was deemed a failure – but residents, volunteers and neighbors knew it could work and mobilized to take on the responsibility to try again and present better solutions, and ultimately to succeed.

For the last six years there have been victories, changes, and hurdles to overcome in its 26 block 1.3-mile length – to keep it car-free while looking to what it will become in the future.

34th Avenue is as unique a transportation narrative as you will find on Planet Earth. It is filled with emotion and love for not only the street but the neighborhood’s incredible diversity and people, a district where over 160 languages are spoken.

What do you think are some lessons learned from 34th Avenue that might be applicable to Southern California Streets?

The volunteers of 34th Avenue will tell you: it’s all about listening to what the community wants and then following that vision. Free bike riding lessons. Road races. English as second language classes. Safe car-free plazas in front of schools (there are six along its 26 block length!) Art. Ethnic celebrations. Just a tiny fraction of what goes on on a daily basis.

Do not take “no” for an answer. Mobilize and get as many elected officials and neighborhood leaders on your side and hold them to their word.

What gives you hope for the future of livable streets?

I have lived on or near 34th Avenue for over 15 years. I can remember (and have the video to prove it) when it was a car sewer during rush hours. As traffic apps became more popular in the 2010s I recall the street being treated as a conduit to enter the Grand Central Parkway. It used to be horrible, loud, polluted and chaotic – and backed up for 30 blocks.

To see not only positive change, but a complete transformation to a place families and friends go to run, walk their dogs, learn how to bike ride, to meet up with neighbors, etc. shows that ANY street in ANY city can be changed.

The street is unquestionably popular and every elected official – from the city councilmembers to the borough leaders to NYC’s mayor – knows this and endorses it.

Anything else you’d like to share?

I’ll just add quickly that I have made probably a dozen short Streetfilms over the years (from 2020 to 2025) highlighting programs and events to help show how great 34th Avenue is. It has been featured for a few minutes in a couple of urban documentaries plus countless news and tv stories. I had a feeling one day someone would one day make a longer piece on its history or maybe a full documentary.

I thought to myself: I have lived here for many years. I have seen all the tremendous happiness and lessons others could learn from. I have all the footage needed to make something great. I know all of the major players and how it came to be. It HAS to be me to make it!

When I realized I needed shoulder replacement surgery in January 2026, I wanted to have a project to work on while convalescing for months. I interviewed over 55 people in the Fall of 2025. My first thought was a film of about 30 minutes, but the stories were so incredible and passionate the length it grew to a feature film length documentary.

I did almost everything in the film: shot, produced, edited, wrote it and planned it. And now I am doing all the promotion, scheduling, and providing details and encouraging people to screen it.