“Skateboarding saves lives.”
This poignant line is pulled from a new short documentary produced by Levis about the Pine Ridge reservation in South Dakota. The eighth largest reservation in the United States, Pine Ridge is generally reported as a community riddled with drug and alcohol problems. The teen suicide rate within the community sits at a devastating seven to ten times greater than the national average.
In 2011, The Stronghold Society began construction of the first skate park on the reservation began in an effort to engage the new generation of young people living there. That park opened this year with construction of another in a neighbouring community began soon after. Directed by Greg Hunt and featuring commentary from one of the project’s benefactors Pearl Jam bassist Jeff Ament, the 17 minute short documentary follows skateboarder and suicide prevention worker Brian “Bubba” Sherman, who lives and works on the Pine Ridge Reservation.
The power of music as a storytelling device is fully recognised throughout the documentary and the soundtrack works near perfectly with the narrative. Scored by David Pajo (Slint, Interpol) the film also features a new song from Cat Power called Anthem. You can watch the film to hear the song below.
[vimeo 142320599 w=500 h=281]
Skateboarding in Pine Ridge – Levi’s Skateboarding from Farm League on Vimeo.
A film on Janis Joplin has been long awaited. Rumours of biopics have circulated throughout the past decade, but for now, get ready for an Amy Berg-directed documentary, eponymously titled Janis. The doco is slated for world premiere at the Venice Film Festival.
It’s now been announced that fellow artist Cat Power will be narrating the tumultuous story of the folk rock legend. The film is said to describe Joplin’ life through a series of hard-hitting letters, which will be narrated by Power, real name Charlyn or Chan Marshall.
Though quiet on the musical music front as of late, Marshall’s constantly evolving musical stylings have secured her a place in the annals of musical history. Blending folk, blues, rock and electronica, her career has been diverse and dense.
Her evolution into the songstress of today has involved turbulent times, similar to that of Joplin. It’s no wonder that she was picked by Berg for the role, with the director describing Power as delivering a ‘beautiful, introspective voice of Janis by reading her letters’.
Janis should be headed to a theatre near you, in the near future.