As strange and stubborn as New York itself, Alan’s Alley video store had managed to keep up with changing times paradoxically by not changing much at all. Flickering its neon proudly since 1988 on a block of Manhattan’s West Chelsea, this madcap cluster of bizarrely arranged movies, falling down tags and candy machines was equal part archive, conversation salon, and cabinet of wonders, featuring a collection of 40,000 titles and serving a devoted clientele that spanned from movie stars to local prison inmates.

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THERE WERE ALWAYS DOGS NEVER KIDS  is a 24 minute documentary about New York City's legendary video store Alan's Alley. The movie was shot and initially edited before the store was forced to move out of its original location in 2014, and eventually close down.  

The movie captures the store and its charismatic owner Alan Sklar in the fall of 2012, as the increasing popularity of streaming media made its very existence a matter of survival. And despite Alan’s Alley subsequent closing - due to soaring real estate prices - There Were Always Dogs Never Kids is a testament, and ode to the spirit of interaction that still characterizes so many communities in New York City. 

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Special mention prize, documentary section, Milano MIX Festival 2012.