Information on a new documentary film that’s set to begin its film festival travels at Canada’s version of the SXSW Film & Music Festival (my description, not theirs), NXNE – or the North by Northeast Festivals and Conference.
Titled All Out War, it’s directed by Robert Pilichowski, and will screen at NXNE, making its World Premiere this Thursday, June 13, 9:15pm, at The Bloor Hot Docs Cinema.
Full details via press release below, including quotes fro the filmmaker on his motivation for making the film, social media links, and more, followed by a trailer for the film:
What used to be called “break-dancing” is now played out during battles in front of crowds of thousands in Asia, North America and Europe (and millions on YouTube) and Robert Pilichowski’s All Out War offers a decade worth of insight into the current state of this urban art form. It takes us right into the crammed vans that carry “crews” from city to city, and the often-difficult upbringings that fuel the desire to win.
Filmed in a fresh, signature style, All Out War is a feature length documentary that follows four B-boys from different positions on the breaking spectrum on their way to the fabled King Of The Ring championship.
They range from Machine, one of the major names of the genre (and a former dancer with the “dance-crew” of the NBA’s Sacramento Kings), to Casper, a talented and driven b-boy so young, director Pilichowski had to interview him with his mother’s approval. The other two featured subjects are Dyzee, from Toronto’s Supernaturalz crew, and the Bronx’s Alien Ness who once scored moves with NYC’s Rock Steady Crew.
“All Out War has been a passion project of mine for years,” Pilichowski says. “Growing up in the 80’s, breaking was the thing to do. It was no longer an underground tribal dance that was done in house parties in The Bronx, but had gone commercial and spread worldwide.
“After the next craze came along and the spotlight shifted from B-boying, I always wondered what had happened to the dancers and crews of that era.
“Not being a dancer myself, I could only imagine what it must be like to battle in a raw cypher (circles of people gathered around the breakers) or in front of thousands of people at a big global competition. And not being part of the scene or culture, I was welcomed with skepticism – not the open arms I was hoping for.”
But Pilichowski persevered, gradually becoming accepted into b-boy subculture, and stubbornly driving All Out War forward, mortgaging his own house along the way to the finish line.
Born in Gdansk, Poland, the Toronto-based Robert Pilichowski previously directed First Ink (the documentary short about NBA star Chris Bosh) and episodes of The Rawside Of…, the IFC series that profiled music figures like Broken Social Scene’s Brendan Canning and Metric.
Social Media Links:
Website : http://alloutwarmovie.com/
Facebook : https://www.facebook.com/
alloutwarmovie Twitter : https://twitter.com/
alloutwarmovie Instagram : http://instagram.com/
alloutwarmovie Flickr : http://www.flickr.com/photos/
63743993@N05/with/6021765779/
Here’s the trailer:
