Drop Dead City

Opens Friday, April 25, 2025

Using vibrant archival footage and firsthand accounts, this gripping documentary explores the NYC fiscal crisis of 1975, an extraordinary, overlooked episode in urban American history that saw an already struggling city of 8 million people brought to the edge of bankruptcy and social chaos by a perfect storm of greed, incompetence, overextended social policy and poor governance.

“The film feels simultaneously like a time capsule of a bygone era and a woefully relevant exposé of the failings of current, greed-fuelled bureaucracy.” – POV Magazine

Official selection: DOC NYC

• Country USA
• Running Time 109 minutes
• Format DCP
• Distributor Fear City
• Director Peter Yost, Michael Rohatyn
• Accessibility Assistive Listening, T-Coil

IFC Center does not generally provide advisories about subject matter or potentially triggering content in films, as sensitivities vary from person to person. In addition to the synopses, trailers and other links on our website, further information about content and age-appropriateness for specific films can be found on Common Sense Media, IMDb and DoesTheDogDie.com as well as through general internet searches.