If you haven’t heard of Hot Docs, it’s a huge documentary festival that happens in Toronto every year. Usually, as an independent filmmaker, I can barely afford the two staples that keep me going (beer and Kraft Dinner), let alone go to festival movies. But luckily this year, by using a combination of a rusty bird cage, duct tape and old Hello! magazines, I was able to make a counterfeit pass and infiltrate my way into the festival. As a result I checked out a movie called Dragonslayer yesterday.
It was not as you might imagine about dragons and wizards. Instead, the focus of the film is on Josh Sandoval AKA Skreech, a skateboarder from Fullerton, California. Directed by Tristan Patterson, it’s shot very beautifully and uses alot of dreamy, selective focused shots on the colourful, free-spirited Skreech, his charismatic circle of friends and pretty, young, and slightly naive girlfriend. Most importantly, he almost never directly speaks into the camera, so we as viewers are just along for the crazy ride, allowing us to peer through into a murky window of underground Californian skate culture. Oh yeah, and there’s alot of awesome wicked skating too. Winner of the SXSW cinematography & best documentary feature awards. Recommended. Check out the official site here and scroll below for the trailer.
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Classic Old School 70s Skateboarding Photos.
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