A new feature film based on skateboarder/filmmaker Stacey Peralta’s acclaimed documentary Dogtown and Z-Boys will be screened during the upcoming Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival.
Lords of Dogtown
was written by Peralta and directed by Catherine Hardwicke, who more than proved her skills as a chronicler of youth culture with the 2003 film Thirteen .Dogtown and Z-Boys (2001)
documented the birth of modern street and vert skateboarding through the innovations and daring of a motley crew of surfer/skateboarders in Venice Beach, Calif. in the mid-late 1970s.The documentary was lauded for its authenticity due to filmmaker Peralta’s own history as an original Z-Boy, and won the Director Award and the Audience Award at the 2001 Sundance Film Festival.
Lords of Dogtown
’s characters are drawn from the original Z-Boys. The film stars Heath Ledger as Skip Engblom, Emile Hirsch as Jay Adams, Victor Rasuk as Tony Alva and John Robinson as the young Peralta.Lords of Dogtown
screens in Whistler on Tuesday, April 12 at the Telus Conference Centre. The special advance screening is well ahead of the general release date of June 3. Aurora Belchic, a representative for the film’s distributor Sony Pictures commented that the screening in Whistler is tied to the festival’s growing reputation as a gathering for prolific members of the action sports community."It’s an amazing event and we’re really proud to be a part of it," Belchic said. "It’s the largest of its kind that I’m aware of and it’s the perfect place to hit this great audience."
The film will be a VIP invite-only event with limited tickets available to the public. Visit the festival website www.whistler2005.com after April 1 for the chance to win tickets to the screening and party.
Filmmaker Showdown dates moved
Due to the addition of Lords of Dogtown to the schedule, and general shuffling of events, the World Ski and Snowboard Festival has a new set of dates for the fourth annual Filmmaker Showdown contest.
The Showdown’s gala screening has been moved to Thursday, April 14 with the 72-hour period allotted for production taking place April 9-12.
A mandatory meeting for all filmmakers will take place Saturday, April 9 at 9 a.m. Registration is open up to the morning of April 9 based on availability in the space-limited contest. Registration before April 1 guarantees a spot.
For contest details and entry forms go to www.whistler2005.com/film.
The 10 th Annual Telus World Ski and Snowboard Festival takes place April 8-17.
