The Cornelia Street Cafe In Exile

The Cornelia Street Café In Exile is a full length documentary by Michael Jacobsohn. The film tells the story of the café and its eclectic community of artists. After 41+ years of existence, the café was forced to close by vile landlords who took over the building and raised its rent to 84 times what it was when it opened. The death of Cornelia Street Café is emblematic of the corrosive gentrification that is eating away at Greenwich Village, the bohemian capital of America, and, by extension, New York City.

The film lovingly documents the diverse performers who graced the stage of the café, some for decades. It sadly captures the physical destruction of the café and the emotional consequence that befall Robin, his immediate family, and his lifelong artistic collaborators. Extensive interviews share fond memories of what made Greenwich Village, the café space, and Robin so special.