The Skateboard Film Festival
February 18, 2009 – 1:57 am PT by MikeTags: Bam Margera, Jason Lee, Ryan Sheckler, Siegfired and Roy, Skateboard Film Festival, Spike Jonze —
It’s a widely accepted that for some odd inexplicable reason, skateboarding and filmmaking seem to go hand in hand. Like peanut butter and jelly. Or SIEGFRIED & ROY. Maybe it has something to do with the fact that in almost every skate crew, there is always that one kid who borrows his mom and dad’s video camera for a few hours and although the camera comes back dusty and with a few scuffmarks, that kid definitely got its money’s worth out of it. Or perhaps the correlation lies beneath the skaters themselves. Considering that skateboarding is undoubtedly a talent that requires undistracted attention from hours of relentless practice, it’s the skater who later on seeks to be an entertainer as seen in the example of Jason Lee or RYAN SHECKLER. It’s the product from this environment that enables the talented and the TALENTLESS to bask in their undying need for attention. Skaters owe the medium of film (or video tape) a big thank you.
For lesser-known skaters, we have the SKATEBOARD FILM FESTIVAL. The objective of the SFF is to bring together skateboard filmmakers, big and small, and of all ages from around this massive globe to come together and share the art and creative outlet in film and video creation. Maybe the festival will discover the next Spike Jonze, or Stacy Peralta. Or how about the next D.W. GRIFFITH!!!
The Skateboard Film Festival is a collaborative effort by some of the industry’s most respected entrepreneurs, filmers, photographers, and skateboarders. It was brought about to promote independent film making in the skateboard community at large. It is open to the entire public by way of video submissions, and there will be several categories by which each film maker can submit his or her video short or full-length movie. Videos are carefully selected by a panel of judges and only a [to be determined] amount will be shown during the annual film festival event.
The festival will span a weekend in the summer of 2009 in Seattle, WA. There will be an abundance of planned events and contests happening at local parks: Innerspace, Highland Skate Plaza, Marginal Way, and the new Seattle Center Plaza (to be finished by then). Nominated films will be screened 2-3 nights of the festival weekend with an award ceremony and after party on the last evening. This three day festival will also specifically promote local skate shops 35th North and Goods and establish them as meeting points for skateboarders who come to Seattle from out of town. There will also be workshops with credible film makers and video editors from the skateboard industry who will share their knowledge with those interested.
