Wilon Manors Becomes Focus of a Documentary

By JAMES MICHAELS

A documentary production team has land- ed in Wilton Manors to produce the seventh installment of “One Square Mile”, a series that explores society within the microcosm of a single square mile.
The square miles range from the urban setting of New York City with 66,800 people living and working in a single square mile to the rural Texas town of Kennard with 275 people living in a sawmill community. Collectively, the square miles make up a patchwork of American culture. The story of each square mile is told by the people who live there.
“I heard about Wilton Manors from a friend of mine in Fort Worth,” said Elizabeth Crum who, along with her husband Carl, are the producers of “One Square Mile”. He told me that if you want a diverse square mile that no one knows about, there’s a community just outside of Fort Lauderdale called Wilton Manors and it has a huge gay population and a huge gay influence.”
The production crew shot interviews at the Poverello Thrift Store, Long Island Iced Tea Night at Georgie’s Alibi, Bungalow Six Guesthouse, Java Boys and the Wilton Manors Historical Association.
There are already four completed installments of “One Square Mile”: Lake Como, Texas is a poverty-stricken neighborhood located within an affluent area of Fort Worth, Texas. The town of Smith Center, Kansas which offers a glimpse of small-town life in America with a dwindling population of 1,663 residents. A square mile in lower Manhattan with over 66,800 residents which is a melting pot of cultural and economic diversity and includes the Lower East Side, Bowery, Chinatown, Five Points, Nolita, Little Italy, SoHo, Tribeca, Two Bridges, Civic Center and the Financial District and, Kennard, Texas in the middle of the Davy Crocket National Forest and is home to 275 people.
Hanalei, Hawaii and New Orleans are currently in post production.
“I didn’t know what to expect to find when I came here,” said Elizabeth Crum. “It has a huge gay population — a huge gay influence — it’s the gayest place I’ve ever been. But it’s just people working and living their lives and doing what people do.”