Jewel of the Pacific

"Jewel of the Pacific" is a short documentary film featuring Shareef Haq, a long-term resident of Pacific Beach, as he explores the gradual gentrification of his once sleepy neighborhood in San Diego, California. Throughout the film, Shareef learns from a diverse group of Pacific Beach residents how the neighborhood has changed from attracting surfers and college students to attracting a demographic of entrepreneurs and work professionals who bring along better restaurants, better bars, better fitness options, and even their own farmers market. Will the beach culture of the local community survive as the cost of living starts going up, pushing out original residents? —Eladio Arvelo