Spanning decades, cultures, and quiet family secrets, Sunnyside is an intimate documentary portrait of Nicholas, a second-generation Greek-American reflecting on a lifetime of memory, identity, and profound transformation. From a cramped childhood bedroom in Sunnyside, Queens, to summers at a Long Island bungalow, the film explores the contrast between a rigid city upbringing and the fleeting freedom of youth. As Nicholas tells stories of his own path—architectural journeys in Paris, coming to terms with his identity in 1970s New York, and finding true partnership—he uncovers unspoken truths about his family's immigrant sacrifices and long-buried grief. Now the sole survivor of his family of seven, Nicholas preserves their fragile legacy, offering a deeply poignant meditation on what it means to hold the key to a forgotten past.

Sunnyside (2026)

Every Family Has a Story. He Is the Last One Left to Tell It.

December 26, 2026 35 min

DocumentaryDramaFamily

Director: Isaac Lothrop  ·  Writers: Nicholas Politis, Suzanne Politis-Lothrop

Spanning decades, cultures, and quiet family secrets, Sunnyside is an intimate documentary portrait of Nicholas, a second-generation Greek-American reflecting on a lifetime of memory, identity, and profound transformation. From a cramped childhood bedroom in Sunnyside, Queens, to summers at a Long Island bungalow, the film explores the contrast between a rigid city upbringing and the fleeting freedom of youth. As Nicholas tells stories of his own path—architectural journeys in Paris, coming to terms with his identity in 1970s New York, and finding true partnership—he uncovers unspoken truths about his family's immigrant sacrifices and long-buried grief. Now the sole survivor of his family of seven, Nicholas preserves their fragile legacy, offering a deeply poignant meditation on what it means to hold the key to a forgotten past.

Trailer

Director

Isaac Lothrop

Cast

Nicholas Politis Self