'Battle for Brooklyn' Screening at Fort Greene Park Tonight

"Battle for Brooklyn," a documentary that follows the eight-year fight against developer Forest City Ratner bringing the Barclays Arena and other massive development to the Atlantic Yards site, will be shown tonight at 9 p.m. Fort Greene Park.

The outdoor showing will be followed by a Q & A at 10:45 p.m. with Clinton Hill-based directors Suki Hawley and Michael Galinsky.

If you can't make it tonight (or can't face the heat), the film will be shown Saturday in Williamsburg, as well as from June 17 to June 23 in both Williamsburg and Greenwich Village (see full schedule below).  

The film focuses primarily on Prospect Heights homeowner Dan Goldstein, who organized a group of community activists under the bannerDevelop, Don’t Destroy Brooklyn, to protest the mega-project.

“We called (neighborhood activist) Patti Hagan and followed her around for 10 days, and she told us that Dan was a fighter who isn’t going to roll over,” said Galinsky in .

Ten days turned into nearly eight years of filming. The documentary chronicles the progressively galvanized response of the community, including DDDB's over $1 million in donations from over 4,000 donors bring the battle to the courts.

“The response was initially shock in the beginning, but the anger from the community slowly built,” said Hawley.

“Our approach as directors is to follow characters and not facts. We want to show people under pressure and how they react to that pressure,” Galinsky added

So far, the film has been well received abroad. At the world premiere in Toronto in April, Galinsky said they were given a five-minute standing ovation after the screening.

"What was great for us is when audience members would tell us about overriding political forces for similar projects that related to them, whether it was the construction of Texas Stadium in Dallas or development in Toronto," said Hawley. "It’s a universal story because politics is local.”

Here's the schedule of area showings:

Tonight, June 9:

Put on by Rooftop Films at . Enter the park at Myrtle and N. Portland and walk up the path.

8:30 p.m. Live Music by Reverend Billy

9:00 p.m. Film Begins

10:45 p.m. Q and A with Daniel Goldstein and filmmakers Michael Galinsky and Suki Hawley

Saturday, June 11:

8 p.m. Part of the Brooklyn Film Festival, IndieScreen, 285 Kent Ave. at S. 2nd St., in Williamsburg.  $10. Buy tickets here.

Friday, June 17- Thurs. June 23:

At IndieScreen, 285 Kent Ave. at S. 2nd St., in Williamsburg. $12. Buy tickets here.

June 17, 18, 19 at 12 p.m.

June 20, 21, 22, 23 at 8 p.m.

Directors Suki Hawley and Michael Galinsky will attend most screenings and be available for Q & A.

Friday, June 17- Thurs. June 23:

At Cinema Village, 22 E. 12th St. at University Place in Manhattan. $11. Showtimes not yet scheduled. Times and online tickets will be available on June 13 after 6 p.m. here.

Note: On Saturday, June 11, Brooklyn Speaks hosts a community forum ""

The event takes place Atlantic Terrace 673 Atlantic Ave., at the corner of South Portland Street. Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries, State Senator Velmanette Montgomery and other local elected officials will speak on what community organizations and local legislators are doing to make Forest City Ratner and the Empire State Development Corporation accountable to Brooklyn and to New York City.