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Alison Nguyen’s 14-minute film “Prior Occupants” (2026) considers the history of Westbeth Artists Housing and the Bell Laboratories site that came before it. A Hyperallergic review describes the film as research-driven but fragmented, saying it leaves key references insufficiently explained. The supplied report does not identify a screening date or say whether the film will be shown elsewhere.
Alison Nguyen’s 14-minute film “Prior Occupants” (2026) explores the history beneath Westbeth Artists Housing, a Manhattan artists’ complex that occupies a site previously used by Bell Laboratories. In a review, Hyperallergic says the film draws on research and intriguing archival material but presents its history in fragments that can be difficult to follow, leaving some of the references unexplained.
The film opens with images of confidential files attributed to Bell Laboratories, the industrial research company associated with the site before it became artists’ housing. According to the review, Nguyen briefly refers to Bell’s involvement in the Manhattan Project and the development of components for ballistic missiles, but does not fully explain how those subjects relate to the documents or the building’s history.
The review also describes a film image of a water-damaged basement at Westbeth. The space once served as a cafeteria for the complex’s predecessor, Bell Laboratories, according to the source. Other archival material shown in the film includes a file documenting Bell Telephone Company research at Columbia University’s Rare Book & Manuscript Library.
Hyperallergic characterizes “Prior Occupants” as a short film that moves through partial clues rather than laying out a continuous account. The reviewer writes that more legibility would have benefited the work, while noting that the fragments can prompt viewers to pursue the historical references themselves. The supplied report does not provide details about the film’s production, its full archival sources or any public screening schedule.
Westbeth’s Industrial Past on Film
The film brings attention to the history preceding Westbeth’s artist residences, including the site’s connection to Bell Laboratories and research documented in archival collections. That connection matters to viewers seeking to understand how the complex acquired its current role and what earlier activities took place there.
The review also highlights a tension between archival richness and accessibility. References to military research and corporate records may invite further investigation, but without more explanation, viewers may not be able to tell which records support which historical claims or how those episodes connect to Westbeth. The report presents this as a criticism of the film’s clarity, not as evidence that the material itself is inaccurate.
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From Bell Laboratories to Westbeth
Westbeth Artists Housing is located in Manhattan near the beginning of the High Line, according to Hyperallergic. Nguyen’s film looks back to the property’s earlier identity as a Bell Laboratories site. Its images include a basement once used as the company cafeteria and archival records related to Bell research.
The source identifies a record held at Columbia University’s Rare Book & Manuscript Library and says the film refers to Bell’s work connected with the Manhattan Project and ballistic-missile components. The review does not give a fuller timeline of the site’s conversion to housing, nor does it specify the provenance of every file shown. Those limits make it difficult to use the supplied account as a complete history of the complex.
““A little more legibility would’ve benefited” the film.”
— Hyperallergic reviewer
Questions About the Film’s Evidence
The supplied review does not establish the full meaning or provenance of the files shown in the film, or explain in detail how each document connects to Westbeth’s history. It also does not provide a comprehensive account of Bell Laboratories’ activities at the property or of the site’s change to artists’ housing.
The article describes the film as screening publicly above 14th Street, but gives no date, venue name or information about further screenings. It is also unclear whether Nguyen or the film’s representatives have responded to the reviewer’s criticism. The review’s assessment of the film’s clarity is an interpretation, not a finding that its historical references are false.
Further Screenings and Records
The source does not announce a next screening, release or follow-up from Nguyen. Readers seeking to verify the film’s archival references can look to the collections it identifies, including Columbia University’s Rare Book & Manuscript Library, though the report does not list specific catalog records. Any additional screening details or historical documentation would help clarify how the film’s fragments fit together.
Key Questions
What is “Prior Occupants” about?
It is Alison Nguyen’s 14-minute film about the history of Westbeth Artists Housing and the site’s earlier connection to Bell Laboratories.
What does the film show?
According to Hyperallergic, it includes Bell Laboratories files, a water-damaged basement that once served as a cafeteria, and a record of Bell Telephone Company research held at Columbia University’s Rare Book & Manuscript Library.
What is the review’s main criticism?
The reviewer says the film’s historical information is presented in vague, fragmented form and that more explanation would have made its references easier to understand.
Does the report give a date for another screening?
No. It refers to a public screening but does not identify its date, name the venue or provide future screening information.
Source: hyperallergic.com
