Canvasback Kid Productions
a MULTI-MEDIA PRODUCTION COMPANY BASED IN NYC.
STATEN ISLAND GRAVEYARD is a one-hour doc-in-progress about how a parking lot, covered in trash, is exposing the way African-Americans are treated even after death.
Though Cherry Lane Cemetery was deeded in 1850, this story stretches back to when the first enslaved Africans were buried, and continues today—as multitudes of neglected or obliterated burial grounds are emerging across the U.S. It reveals a mindset that was not contained to a time or place. The story of Cherry Lane is, in fact, the story of an American cemetery.
Our Press page features interviews with NPR, a New York Times Op-Ed, NBC, CBS, NowThis, and an upcoming New York Times article.
Our Clients
What People Are Saying
"There are three documentaries that I saw all about the New York accent, and there’s this incredible one, 'If These Knishes Could Talk.'"
— Jessica Chastain, on “If These Knishes Could Talk”
“The story of Cherry Lane Cemetery and the people buried there is complicated…But Quinlan has been trying. Her documentary in progress is called ‘Staten Island Graveyard.’”
— WNYC, “Morning Edition” on “Staten Island Graveyard”
“‘Knishes’ offers a broader obituary: the New York accent is being displaced … Quinlan [went] looking for bastions of survival.”
— The New Yorker on “If These Knishes Could Talk”
“Having already tackled the rare beast that is the New York accent, filmmaker Heather Quinlan decided to tackle a considerably more divisive topic ... bicycles.”
— Curbed on “SPOKE: A Short Film About NYC Bikes
“Not all that’s buried is lost. Mr. Prine’s resting place on Staten Island was publicized by a local documentary filmmaker, and area residents have rallied around finding ways to commemorate it.”
— Greg Melville, The New York Times Op-Ed on “Staten Island Graveyard”
“… a tribute to what New York sounded like when the working class stood as a more central cultural presence.”
— The New York Times on “If These Knishes Could Talk”
"Heather E. Quinlan’s [book] 'Plagues, Pandemics and Viruses' has all the fascinating, frightening facts.”
— New York Daily News on “Plagues Pandemics and Viruses: From the Plague of Athens to COVID-19”