‘Community Strength’ reads the slogan on the t-shirt worn by Helen Finner, head of the residents’ council at the Ida B. Wells housing project, home to some of Chicago’s poorest inhabitants.

Widely regarded as one of the Frederick Wiseman’s finest films, this affecting, absorbing study of people in and around the project challenges cliched representations of poverty, race and housing inequality.

With a groundbreaking career spanning seven decades, Frederick Wiseman is one of the great American storytellers. Cinema Expanded - The Films of Frederick Wiseman is a comprehensive season of the documentarian’s work, taking place throughout 2026.