Made In Venice Movie – Underdogs Beat The Odds To Build A Skatepark

VENICE, Calif. - Aug. 24, 2016 - PRLog -- Made In Venice, a documentary directed and produced by Jonathan Penson, featuring the inside story of the skateboarders of Venice, California, and their struggle to make the dream of a skatepark come true, will be released nationwide on August 25, 2016, via Abramorama.

The feature-length documentary carries the viewer through the history of Venice to present day, as it tells the story of the decades it took a relentless crew of skateboarders, surfers and civic activists to convince the City of Los Angeles to build a skatepark in the area that gave birth to modern skateboarding.

Made In Venice is not just a skate movie. It's a tale of audacity, guts and hope filled with counterculture characters that overcame all obstacles to claim victory for the masses. Anyone that has fought for what they want can identify with this film. This is the story of visionaries that refused to give up the goal to build concrete terrain for future generations.

The film captures the firsthand stories and recollections of 40-plus years of skateboarding in Venice that started with the Z-Boys, and continued with its legendary street skaters and the iconic Venice Skatepark. Never-before-seen Super-8 and early video footage, along with rare black and white stills, take you back to innovative demos on the Boardwalk and skating the walls of the Pavilion, as the Venice skaters pushed the boundaries of street skating and put it on the global map.

Made In Venice features appearances by skateboarding legends, pros, skatepark activists, icons and heroes: Jesse Martinez, Geri Lewis, Christian Hosoi, C.R. Stecyk III, Skip Engblom, Jay Adams, Jeff Ho, Aaron Murray, Scott Oster, Cesario "Block" Montano, Tim Jackson, Ray Flores, Eddie Reategui, Eric Britton, Dave Duncan, David Hackett, Joey Tran, Pat Ngoho, Wally Hollyday, Jimbo Quaintance, Joff Drinkwater, Nathan Pratt, Solo Scott, Jamie Quaintance, Asher Bradshaw, Kiko Francisco, Bart Saric, Heidi Lemmon, Anthony "Tonan" Ruiz, Lance Lemond, Susanne Melanie Berry, Jereme Schadler, Dennis Ogden, Steve Mayorga, Julien Martinez, Victor Blue, Steve "Primo" Primeau, Mary Prideaux, Lauren Seagrave, Katie Sullivan, Adam Hamilton, Karington Smith, Mike Sherrod, Pauline Bronon, Mario Narango and Zack Wormhoudt.

Made In Venice will be showing Aug 25-Sept 1 at the Laemmle Monica in Santa Monica, California. Following its LA openings, the film will roll out in theaters across the country, including skate hotspots such as Seattle, Portland, San Francisco, Salt Lake City, Denver, New York City and more.

Made In Venice Screening Dates:

8/25 – 9/1 – Laemmle Monica – Santa Monica, CA

8/30 – Laemmle Playhouse 7 – Pasadena, CA

8/31 – Laemmle NoHo 7 – North Hollywood, CA

8/31 – Megaplex Gateway Theatre – Salt Lake City, UT

8/31 – The Maple Theater & Kitchen – Detroit, MI

9/1 – NorthWest Film Forum – Seattle, WA

9/5 – Gateway Film Center – Columbus, OH

9/7 – SIE Film Center – Denver, CO

9/8 – Krikorian Buena Park – Buena Park, CA

9/8 – Krikorian Downey Cinema 10 – Downey, CA

9/8 – Krikorian Monrovia Cinema 12 – Monrovia, CA

9/8 – Krikorian Redlands Cinema – Redlands, CA

9/8 – Krikorian San Clemente Cinema 6 – San Clemente, CA

9/11 – Hollywood Theatre – Portland, OR

What people are saying about Made In Venice!

"Made in Venice is a story about skatepark advocacy in one of the most colorful places on the planet. Check it out!" - Tony Hawk Foundation

"Made In Venice is a step by step manifesto for skate/civic activism. It is a remarkable documentation of hard working visionary individuals transforming society." - C.R. Stecyk III – Dogtown and Z-Boys

"Go and see the Made In Venice movie. It's got a great story and you'll learn a lot about skateboarding. Support skateboarding worldwide." - Jesse Martinez - skateboarding pioneer

"Jesse Martinez has been in the game for a long time. Peep the vid of the Venice scene and the influence they had on the skateboard world. When Jesse talks, you listen and he has a Thrasher tatt. A true lifer gets it on wax for all to see. Check it." - Jake Phelps – Thrasher Magazine

"Made in Venice - a must see! This film is an essential piece of history, acknowledging and paying tribute to the ground soldiers whose tireless efforts brought to fruition a skatepark on the sand that millions now enjoy." - Alex Stowell - Venice Paparazzi

ABOUT MADE IN VENICE:

Directed and Produced by Jonathan Penson

Executive Producer: Dianne E. Lerner

Written and Co-Produced by Diane Rozas

Creative Consultants: Kevin Hynes, Christian L. Rehr

Editors: Kenn Bartlett, Jonathan Penson

Co-Producers: Jesse Martinez, Joel Klug, Masao Miyashiro, Todd Gessel

Cinematography: Jonathan Penson, Ian Congdon

Production Company: Racing the Sun Pictures

TRT: 77 minutes

For more information, visit www.madeinvenicemovie.com.

ABOUT ABRAMORAMA: Abramorama is an independent distribution and marketing company. An industry leader in the focused, personalized form of film distribution, Abramorama provides invaluable alternatives to filmmakers and content owners. Coming off the successful releases of Laurie Anderson's astonishing New York Times critics' pick, HEART OF A DOG, and Dawn Porter's Sundance Award-winner TRAPPED, Abramorama's recent multiple-nominated and award-winning titles also include Showtime's LISTEN TO ME MARLON (National Board of Review Winner) and Drafthouse's THE LOOK OF SILENCE (2016 Documentary Academy Award® Nominee and 2015 IDA Best Documentary Winner).

Over the course of more than 20 years, Abramorama has successfully distributed and marketed hundreds of films, including Asif Kapadia's SENNA, Robert Stone's PANDORA'S PROMISE, Cameron Crowe's PEARL JAM TWENTY, Sacha Gervasi's ANVIL! THE STORY OF ANVIL, Banksy's Academy Award®-nominated EXIT THROUGH THE GIFT SHOP, the surprise indie hit AWAKE: THE LIFE OF YOGANANDA, and the critically acclaimed documentaries PARTICLE FEVER and AN HONEST LIAR.

Abramorama continues to lead in event cinema distribution, with current titles including HAMLET, starring Maxine Peake from Manchester's Royal Exchange Theatre; Operas from La Scala, Roma, Fenice & Torino; and recent titles including the Royal Opera House Ballet and Opera Cinema Season, Green Day's HEART LIKE A HAND GRENADE, Avi Lewis and Naomi Klein's THIS CHANGES EVERYTHING, Charles Ferguson's TIME TO CHOOSE, Barbara Kopple's MISS SHARON JONES!, Luke Meyer's BREAKING A MONSTER, and Ron Howard's THE BEATLES: EIGHT DAYS A WEEK - THE TOURING YEARS.

For more information, visit: www.abramorama.com.

Media Contact:
Dan Levy - Juice Enterprises Inc.
319 Ocean Front Walk, #1
Venice, CA 90291
(310) 455-6169