Carvin Eison and Chris Christopher took on one of the trickiest and most volatile subjects imaginable: a three-night riot that erupted when temperatures were hottest in downtown Rochester, leaving an otherwise peaceful neighborhood in shambles and changing lives, businesses and living conditions forever. Whether a policeman’s mistreatment of a black crime suspect kindled the anger of the watching crowd, or whether the combined effects of poverty, joblessness and miserable living conditions made the conflict inevitable, the riots left a forty-year scar that has never fully healed. Eison and Christopher tackled these and many more questions head-on, interviewing leaders on all sides of the issue and conducting meticulous research on the economic, social and political climate that led to those devastating nights. Not only is this a well crafted, masterfully balanced documentary, JULY ‘64 is a work of historical significance that is already sparking positive discussions about social change throughout the city of Rochester. (Randi Minetor)