Known for Acting
Empire Skate chronicles the colorful rise and enduring influence of New York skateboarding culture in the 1990s, through the global phenomenon of Supreme and intimate portraits of the skaters who breathed life into that world.
Tells the history of skateboard art and its evolution through the decades, as iconic and rebellious skateboarders and artists give firsthand experiences and stories about their art that challenged the establishment.
In 1975, in Northern California, a diverse crew of skateboarders met at a paved embankment under the freeway. They had no idea their underground movement would have a global impact on the world of skateboarding. Their story has never been told. Until now. In 2011, the N-Men’s founder, John O’Shei, finally gave permission to filmmaker James Sweigert to tell their story. Sweigert spent 11 years digging through attics, basements and garages unearthing 86 minutes of never before seen footage and photos of the undocumented Northern California skate scene.
A documentary about the beauty in overcoming fear and other challenges facing humanity as seen by icons of pro skating, science, art, music, activism, and education, all of whom share experiences and perspectives shaped by their love of skateboarding. The conversations focus on understanding fear, depression, addiction, education, activism, philanthropy, racism, sexism, homophobia, and the environment. The film’s purpose is to inspire deeper thinking, more empathic perspectives, and open conversations about human issues.
Glen E. Friedman's documentary short updating the lives of the legendary Z-Boys skateboard crew 20 years after the release of their award winning and groundbreaking film.
62-years-old Alva, the oldest professional, skateboarder in the world, is considered by many to be the godfather of modern day skateboarding. Alva’s brand of aggression and bravado in the 70’s set the stage for the way skateboarding would be forever defined. Vans’ The Tony Alva Story chronicles T.A.’s humble beginnings on the streets of Santa Monica to his rise to superstardom as part of the legendary Z-Boys, his inevitable drug-induced implosion and his ultimate rise from the ashes to accept his rightful place as a beacon of hope and inspiration for generations of skateboarders the world over.
YOU CAN COLOR OUTSIDE THE LINES, THE BIG BOYS tells the true story of the beloved funk/punk band from Austin, Texas. Go beyond Austin's city limits and hear from some of music & skateboarding's greats about how the original "skate punk" band's message of DIY positivity still resonates today. Hear from such legends as Tim Kerr (Big Boys), Fred Armisen (SNL), Tony Alva (Dogtown & Z-Boys), Jeff Ament (Pearl Jam), Exene Cervenka (X) & many more as this VHS-inspired trip takes you back to those hot summers of Texas in the 80s. And then go make your own art!
The first name in skateboarding footwear and apparel introduces its highly anticipated first-ever feature-length global skateboarding video, PROPELLER. Directed by acclaimed filmmaker Greg Hunt and featuring full parts from some of the biggest names in modern skateboarding alongside appearances from legends and true pioneers, PROPELLER presents a sweeping snapshot of modern skateboarding that only Vans can deliver.
Many objected to leather-jacket, spike-hair kids with tattoos. But, that did not dissuade a generation... No one realized that a little club in Costa Mesa, CA would end up spawning a multi-billion dollar youth culture that still endures today! It was the Cuckoos Nest of the late 70s and early 80s. With archival, unseen and new footage, the filmmakers compiled an intimate story about the beginning of a movement, a place of refuge for a youth culture, a fearful establishment and a police force that didnt understand what was happening.
When six teenage boys came together as a skateboarding team in the 1980s, they reinvented not only their chosen sport but themselves too – as they evolved from insecure outsiders to the most influential athletes in the field.
In the summer of 1978 the Swedish film director Staffan Hildebrand encountered a group of young people with skateboards in Stockholm city, it resulted in a documentary about this new subculture "skateboard". The documentary, "14 års landet" (The land of 14) was presented in Swedish national TV (SVT) in the christmas of 1978. Now 30 years later Staffan and his crew have followed up the skateboarders from "14 års landet" what happened to them, what has happened with the skateboard industry in Sweden since then and why these people are "hooked for life".
From 1978 to 1989 skateboarding was illegal in Norway, as the only country in the world it was not legal to sell, buy or use skateboard in this period. The film follows two generations of skaters - from the underground culture in the late 70s, with skating on secret locations in the forest around Oslo, to the commercial explosion when skating was legalized in 1989. The film says something about the Norwegian governments overprotective policy, but it also shows the paradox of how the prohibition led to a unique and creative environment.
