Captured in the City Grid
Lazar
We live in a digital world, but we're fairly analog creatures.
Tracks
New York is for the real. For the ones who walk where others fear, to touch the raw.
Bronxfenced
Steel and light stretching across the dark water, the city's pulse running quietly overhead.
Collapse
The city as prey.
Mahagony
New York doesn't do casting. It just keeps delivering.
Backbone
Have a soft heart, but be New York tough.
Sculpture
A nod, a smile. A look that says 'I see you'.
Fountain
Downtown will never ask for permission. Not to sit, not to take up space.
Window
In a crowd of millions, it's easy to disappear.
Lighttunnel
Manhattan transports a certain sensation of motion without actually moving.
Statement
When I came to New York, I could have imagined just about anything. Except that my Nikon would become the door opener, the key to the city’s treasure chest. What has always been a pastime, a balance to my filmmaking career, has turned into an additional chapter of my professional creative work.
I’m seeing New York as structure, as a composition. The city is its own artwork.
A living system of lines, grids, and connections. I’m fascinated by the city’s skeleton. Every corner is a silent witness to a ghost of a chance.
Yet, in the uncertainty of the moment, one thing is becoming clear: In a world of isolated global consumers, a core aspect of being human is resurfacing: the deep need for places of belonging.
When we find such a place, we grow in certainty and openness to others. It is like a true home, where everything is waiting for us.
Structure becomes story.
One thing’s for sure: this city has seen It all. The full spectrum of the world comes together here and celebrates a magical dance. It’s impossible to capture its full spectrum. You have to be there yourself.
So this is what’s left after deep dives into the nervous system, the grid, the pulse of the city. The unifying theme is the indivual in relation to the urban network; my haul of the last year since I’ve been in NYC.
Biography
Alan Rexroth is a New York and Berlin-based filmmaker, photographer, and visual artist dedicated to documenting global societal transitions. As the founder of Angry Buddha Films and Shila Creatives NYC, his practice merges cinematic intimacy with a humanist inquiry into the profound impacts of globalization on local communities.
Growing up in Heidelberg, Germany, Alan began directing short documentaries and artistic projects at the age of 15. His unique visual language and journalistic instinct were refined during university studies in Politics and History, and through early artistic encounters; such as documenting Christo’s wrapping of the Reichstag.
Guided by a deep social engagement, his filmic and large-format photographic work is heavily shaped by extensive journeys to remote regions of Latin America and Nepal. These projects include his acclaimed documentary El Elefante Blanco (2011) and the deeply personal, multi-award-winning film essays #WAY_Aurelio and #WAY_LamaTenzing, which have captured over 50 international festival awards.
This powerful fusion of narrative storytelling and sophisticated composition also makes Alan a highly sought-after director for premium branded content. Since 1998, his cinematic vision and technical precision behind the camera and in the editing room have led to global campaigns for major brands like Mercedes, Google, Samsung, or Sony. His commercial film work has been recognized with prestigious industry accolades, including Cannes Lions, Clio Awards, and ADC Nails.
Whether capturing raw human realities through a camera lens or directing international film teams, Alan splits his time between Berlin and New York City. Balancing his artistic practice with raising his three daughters, caring for his cat Shila, and training for his next marathon.
