What: Block Party
When: Thursday, July 26
Where: Crankworx Monster Mainstage
Admission: Free
Have You Seen It Yet?
No it’s not a question, but the title of a new mountain bike flick that premiers at the Kokanee Crankworx Block Party celebrations Thursday, July 26 in Skier’s Plaza.
“At the end of the day, what makes a good film is good action and a unique perspective on people,” said producer Steve Blick who also works in marketing for Oakley Sports, which funded the project.
“You see all of these pros in magazines interacting with each other and having a good time… This is not one of those films with all of that scary stuff, people hucking themselves off cliffs, etc. This film is going to inspire a regular person to get out and ride their bike.”
So if the title doesn’t say much about it and the film doesn’t follow the regular MTV bike porn video guidelines, what exactly is it?
Blick likened the 22-minute film, shot on HD as well as 16 and 8 mm film by the boys of Freeride Entertainment, as somewhere between the Blair Witch Project and Scooby Doo — only on two wheels.
The purpose of the film was to invite some of the world’s best riders to have some fun and explore new boundaries at Hood River just outside of Portland, Oregon. Not wanting to force riders into the confines of a script, a loose storyline of riders going missing was concocted to shape the adventures of pro riders Brian Lopez, Cedric Gracia, Wade Simmons, Niki Gudex, April Lawyer, Darcy Turenee, Alex Pro and Bigfoot.
Searching for Animal Chin, a 1980s film directed by skateboard legend Tony Hawkes, was the inspiration behind the mountain bike flick. Animal Chin follows the story of five athletes who didn’t like the mainstream direction their underground sport was taking. They took a stand, letting the world know their sport was not being sold out.
“We took the vibe from Animal Chin and took the best monumental bikers in the world to go on a fun little trip to decompress a season’s worth of riding and competition,” Blick said.
Chuckles opposed to gasps are expected at the screening, showing as part of the Crankworx Block Party festivities. The party begins with live shows from The Sessions and Velvet followed by the world premier of Crankworx Greatest Hits, a film compiled from the vaults of New World Disorder. The trailer for NWD 8 is on deck next followed by Have You Seen It Yet? on the JumboTron.
Along with the big screen showing, films will play out simultaneously at Black’s Pub, the Longhorn Saloon, Dubh Linn Gate Irish Pub and the Garibaldi Lift Company.
“Crankworx was the best place to launch it; that is where most of the mountain bike community from all over the world is going to be,” Blick said.
The outside screening is free. Check out the trailer for Have You Seen It? At nwdfilms.com/ftp/husi-5-trailer-comp.mov.
