David Scheckel
Graffiti-covered columns under the elevated train, a broken cabinet and bagged refuse left on the sidewalk

David Scheckel

Brooklyn, New York
About

David Scheckel is a Brooklyn-based filmmaker from New Jersey with experience in both documentary and narrative filmmaking. Through his background in social history, his work approaches documentary practice with a focus on collective understandings and place-based storytelling — from illegal dumping hotspots and historically polluted superfund sites to cafe-based chess clubs and nonprofessional bike polo organizations. He recently completed two films as a resident of the Union Docs Collaborative Studio in Ridgewood, Queens.

Dumped furniture and trash bags piled in snow beneath the elevated train

Trash Triangle

2026 — Documentary Short — Co-Director & Co-Editor
A man being interviewed on a Brooklyn street corner
Hand-painted 'You Are Here' sign found on site
Macro abstract of a shattered mirror reflecting the elevated train

An eclectic assortment of concerned community members express frustrations and imagine new visions for the Trash Triangle, an illegal dumping hotspot in an in-between urban space.

Directors: David Scheckel & Nichole Whitney — Editors: Adam Mbowe & David Scheckel
Produced within the Union Docs Collaborative Studio

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A figure wades through Newtown Creek at sunset with the Manhattan skyline behind

In Every Crack and Crevice

2026 — Documentary Short — Co-Director & Co-Editor
Macro of a mussel covered in algae among rocks
Underwater macro of a mussel among algae
Illustrated frame with a highlighted rock detail from the film's animated sequence

The mussels of Newtown Creek bear witness to the waterway's past, present, and future as they filter through over a century's worth of pollution.

Directors and Editors: ann haeyoung & David Scheckel
Produced within the Union Docs Collaborative Studio

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A guitarist bathed in red and yellow stage light, singing into a microphone

Stupid World: Jenny Alien Live

2026 — Concert Documentary — Director & Editor
Two singers share a microphone under green and gold stage light
A trumpet player lit in blue and teal
Band members gathered on a graffiti-covered street at night

Stupid World drops you straight into the chaos of Jenny Alien. Get a closer look into NYC's newest partyrock supergroup, onstage and behind the scenes.

Screened at Videodome

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A newly crowned chess champion raises his hands as a gold paper crown is placed on his head

Over the Board

2025 — Documentary Short — Co-Director & Co-Editor
Players in Prospect Park Chess team jackets between rounds
Close-up of hands moving chess pieces
2nd Annual NYC Chess Olympiad title card over a crowd scene

Since the pandemic, chess has seen a remarkable spike in popularity. Over the Board explores the expanding chess scene in New York City, the deep connection players have to the game, and the role of Bushwick Chess in Brooklyn as a growing community hub for the next generation of enthusiasts.

Directors and Editors: Billie McKelvie & David Scheckel — Easy Eight Productions
Screened at Artists and Beers and the New York City Short Documentary Film Festival

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Archival photograph of Black women and men sorting tobacco leaves at long wooden tables in a brick factory

Who Built America’s Digital Odyssey

2025 — Documentary — Director, Producer & Editor
A historian speaking on camera in an office, seated in front of an orange ASHP at 35 timeline poster
Archival photograph of a man leaning over a desk, retouching artwork with a fine brush
A frame from the Who Built America? CD-ROM: a cut-out archival portrait of a woman over a band of crumpled paper, beside a grandfather clock

The American Social History Project has been innovating the field of social history for over 40 years. In this retrospective documentary, we document our own story by speaking to the people who have worked on the expansive ‘Who Built America?’ curriculum and taught us new ways to examine historical teaching. Throughout the years ASHP has always been at the forefront of utilizing new technologies, culminating in the release of whobuiltamerica.org, a free online resource containing the entire WBA textbook and many supplementary materials, last fall.

Director, Producer & Editor: David Scheckel — American Social History Productions

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