Slumlord Millionaire

In New York City’s most quickly gentrifying neighborhoods, fearless residents, activists, and nonprofit attorneys fight for the right to decent and affordable housing

GALLERY

ABOUT THE FILM

Series: VOCES

Director/Co-Producers: Ellen Martinez and Steph Ching

Genre: Documentary

Program Length: 90 min

Premiere Date: July 28, 2025 at 10pm ET

Winner of the Audience Award at the 2024 DOC NYC Film Festival, “Slumlord Millionaire” explores the rapid gentrification of New York City neighborhoods and the housing crisis sweeping not only New York but the nation. Median rents nationwide are higher than ever, and, in Manhattan, the average rent is now almost $5,000 per month. As rents increase, some landlords have become aggressive in getting long-term tenants to leave: ignoring repairs, turning off heat and gas, and doing nothing to eliminate mold and vermin infestations. The landlord’s goal is to make the apartment so uninhabitable that residents are forced out, allowing them to deregulate the apartment and turn it over to market rate for a high profit. These actions drive up costs in the already unaffordable housing market and displace families who make up the fabric of these neighborhoods, changing communities forever.

ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS

Ellen Martinez (Director/Co-Producer)

Ellen Martinez (Director/Producer) previously directed and produced After Spring, a feature documentary about the Syrian refugee crisis. The film was executive produced by Jon Stewart, had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, was broadcast on Starz and received a Frontline Award for Documentary Journalism. Their work has been supported by the Sundance Institute, Latino Public Broadcasting, Firelight Media, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and NYSCA. They were both honorees on DOC NYC’s inaugural “40 Under 40” list as directors. As a producer, Martinez has worked on projects for HBO, Disney+, PBS, Participant Media and Imagine Documentaries and was a Netflix Nonfiction Directing/Producing Fellow. She is originally from Texas but grew up living overseas in Dubai, Venezuela, and Syria. She is now based in Brooklyn, New York.

Steph Ching (Director/Co-Producer)

Steph Ching (Director/Producer) previously directed and produced After Spring, a feature documentary about the Syrian refugee crisis. The film was executive produced by Jon Stewart, had its world premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival, was broadcast on Starz and received a Frontline Award for Documentary Journalism. Their work has been supported by the Sundance Institute, Latino Public Broadcasting, Firelight Media, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation and NYSCA. They were both honorees on DOC NYC’s inaugural “40 Under 40” list as directors. Ching is also an editor and worked on Cameraperson, The Fourth Estate, The Brink, Take Out with Lisa Ling and Netflix’s White Hot. She is the proud daughter of Hong Kong immigrants.