Documentary Screening: Drop Dead City
Presented by the Chicago Policy Center, Civic Federation, and Better Government Association
Date: Tuesday, July 1, 2:30 pm to 5 pm, Chicago History Museum, 1601 N. Clark
General Admission: $10 | Student Tickets: $5 (All proceeds benefit the Chicago History Museum)
In 1975, New York City stood on the brink of financial collapse.
Drop Dead City is the gripping, award-winning documentary that captures how an unlikely cast of bankers, bureaucrats, and civic leaders—working without pay and under immense pressure—rescued a city thought to be ungovernable.
Told through electrifying archival footage, firsthand interviews, and a driving ’70s soundtrack, Drop Dead City transforms a forgotten fiscal crisis into an urgent, entertaining, and deeply human drama.
Winner of the Library of Congress Lavine/Ken Burns Prize for Film.
Why it matters for Chicago
The same warning signs that flashed in 1970s New York are flashing now in Chicago. This screening is more than a look back. It’s a wake-up call. What New York fixed with courage and oversight, Chicago can fix too, if we learn from history.
Stay for the conversation.
The screening will be followed by a panel discussion featuring:
Austin Berg – Executive Director of the Chicago Policy Center and co-author of “The New Chicago Way: Lessons from Other Big Cities.”
Joe Ferguson – President of the Civic Federation. Former inspector general for the City of Chicago for over a decade, Ferguson leads the Civic Federation, an independent, non-partisan government research organization that provides fiscal analysis, recommendations, and oversight for Chicago, Illinois, and local government.
David Greising – President of the Better Government Association. A former Chicago Tribune business columnist and Midwest bureau chief for Reuters, Greising leads BGA’s efforts to expose waste and corruption and bring more accountability to Illinois government.
Join us for an exclusive screening and a powerful conversation about what it takes to save a city from itself.
Film details
Watch the trailer and an interview with the directors.
Run time: 1h 48m