Documentary
Some argue that modern graffiti was born in Philadelphia, where the pioneers of wall-writing became citywide celebrities during the late 1960s and early 1970s. Graffiti eventually consumed the city, and a new mayor made it his top priority to fight back. In the process, the city's Mural Arts Program was born. Philadelphia is now a great outdoor museum. Yet graffiti still thrives, with new writers always ready to replace those who are caught or quit.
MOVIE COMMENTS
SIMILAR MOVIES
An Unsatisfying Metaphor
Hanzi
The Pitch
The Vandals
Cope 2 Kings Destroy
Hinter dem Vorhang: Das Geheimnis Vermeer
David Choe: High Risk
Art as a Weapon
Pivetta
Legendary
Tobu Hime
Hoop Dreams
Crash 'n' Burn
Basquiat: Rage to Riches
Black Is the Color: African-American Artists and Segregation
33 Photos from the Ghetto
Vick
Sapiens ou la naissance de l’art
Steps & Bars
The Genius of Turner: Painting the Industrial Revolution
SIMILAR MOVIES
An Unsatisfying Metaphor
IMDB 8 | Jun , 2020
Documentary about the history of 20th century globalization through the lens of the World Trade Organization's changing art collection; from works of human subjects showcasing the potential of dignified labor, to their replacement with abstract maps and grids for the valorization of the modern trade system.Hanzi
IMDB 7.6 | May , 2017
Hanzi is a documentary exploring international design, visual culture, and identity through the lens of modern Chinese typography. The film covers a variety of topics such as how languages shape identity, and what role handwriting plays in the digital age.The Pitch
IMDB 0 | Oct , 2017
"The Pitch" takes a look at the world of international street performing buskers to find out why these men and women have chosen to "pass the hat" to make a living, along with the challenges they face.The Vandals
IMDB 7 | Jan , 1972
Report on vandalismCope 2 Kings Destroy
IMDB 0 | Jan , 1999
NYC Graffiti Documentary "Kings Destroy" straight from the boogie down Bronx and right into your living room, with guest appearances by KRS-1, FAT JOE, CASE II, SEEN, and many more...Hinter dem Vorhang: Das Geheimnis Vermeer
IMDB 8 | Jun , 2021
David Choe: High Risk
IMDB 8 | Jul , 2015
Artist David Choe has led a life of high risk, from hedonistic excesses to being imprisoned at a maximum security facility in a foreign country, and yet has been dramatically rewarded for his exploits. Life didn't change much when he traded a $60k fee in favor of stock in a start-up called The Facebook, but now he is estimated to be worth over $250 million, highlighting a colorful career filled with giant street art installations, porn star affairs and investigative reporting for companies like Vice and CNN. Director and childhood friend Harry Kim guides us through the fantastically surreal life of Choe featuring interviews and appearances by Kevin Smith, Eli Roth, Sasha Grey, Sean Parker, and Shepard Fairey.Art as a Weapon
IMDB 6 | Jun , 2014
Street art, creativity and revolution collide in this beautifully shot film about art’s ability to create change. The story opens on the politically charged Thailand/Burma border at the first school teaching street art as a form of non-violent struggle. The film follows two young girls (Romi & Yi-Yi) who have escaped 50 years of civil war in Burma to pursue an arts education in Thailand. Under the threat of imprisonment and torture, the girls use spray paint and stencils to create images in public spaces to let people know the truth behind Burma's transition toward "artificial democracy." Eighty-two hundred miles away, artist Shepard Fairey is painting a 30’ mural of a Burmese monk for the same reasons and in support of the students' struggle in Burma. As these stories are inter-cut, the film connects these seemingly unrelated characters around the concept of using art as a weapon for change.Pivetta
IMDB 0 | Oct , 2021
Legendary
IMDB 0 | Aug , 2020
An inside look into the effort to preserve Philadelphia's ballroom scene, a black LGBTQ safe-space that has endured for 30 years.Tobu Hime
IMDB 0 | Jan , 2020
Aki's Imagination is imbued through Tobu Himeo aka the Floating Girls. As a Japanese born Australian artist, Aki Yaguchi moulds her artwork around the interplay between her heritage and being a women within a male dominated space.Hoop Dreams
IMDB 7.6 | Sep , 1994
Every school day, African-American teenagers William Gates and Arthur Agee travel 90 minutes each way from inner-city Chicago to St. Joseph High School in Westchester, Illinois, a predominately white suburban school well-known for the excellence of its basketball program. Gates and Agee dream of NBA stardom, and with the support of their close-knit families, they battle the social and physical obstacles that stand in their way. This acclaimed documentary was shot over the course of five years.Crash 'n' Burn
IMDB 0 | Jan , 1977
Crash 'n' Burn is an experimental film shot in and named after Toronto, Ontario's first punk rock club. (Not to be confused with Peter Vronsky's similarly titled 1977 documentary on the Toronto punk scene made for the CBC television network.) The film, shot on 16mm black-and-white stock, features performances by Dead Boys, Teenage Head, The Boyfriends, and The Diodes".Basquiat: Rage to Riches
IMDB 5.8 | Oct , 2017
This film tells Jean-Michel's story through exclusive interviews with his two sisters Lisane and Jeanine, who have never before agreed to be interviewed for a TV documentary. With striking candour, Basquiat's art dealers - including Larry Gagosian, Mary Boone and Bruno Bischofberger - as well as his most intimate friends, lovers and fellow artists, expose the cash, the drugs and the pernicious racism which Basquiat confronted on a daily basis. As historical tableaux, visual diaries of defiance or surfaces covered with hidden meanings, Basquiat's art remains the beating heart of this story.Black Is the Color: African-American Artists and Segregation
IMDB 0 | Jul , 2016
Black Is the Color highlights key moments in the history of Black visual art, from Edmonds Lewis’s 1867 sculpture Forever Free, to the work of contemporary artists such as Whitfield Lovell, Kerry James Marshall, Ellen Gallagher, and Jean-Michel Basquiat. Art historians and gallery owners place the works in context, setting them against the larger social contexts of Jim Crow, WWI, the civil rights movement and the racism of the Reagan era, while contemporary artists discuss individual works by their forerunners and their ongoing influence.33 Photos from the Ghetto
IMDB 7.3 | Apr , 2025
The film traces two families, one of which is Jewish, who preserved the images for decades but hadn’t brought them to light. 80 years after their creation, the son of the photographer finds the forgotten negatives and launches an investigation. With a team of researchers, archivists, and animators who use near-forensic precision to reconstruct locations and contexts, they trace the circumstances of those tragic days and the lives captured in each frame.Vick
IMDB 6.8 | Jan , 2020
A comprehensive reminisce at each chapter of former NFL quarterback Michael Vick’s saga–the incredible rise, shocking fall and polarizing return.Sapiens ou la naissance de l’art
IMDB 8 | Jan , 2022
We immerse ourselves in a quest for the origins of Art, among the very first modern humans. The prehistoric works, of incredible richness and diversity, tell a story of beauty and the species. Researchers, including archaeologists, but also art historians, philosophers and contemporary artists, enrich our view of prehistoric art with their different, but also complementary, points of view on the subject.Steps & Bars
IMDB 0 | Mar , 2024
The Genius of Turner: Painting the Industrial Revolution
IMDB 7 | Apr , 2013
A film that looks at the genius of JMW Turner in a new light. There is more to Turner than his sublime landscapes - he also painted machines, science, technology and industry. Turner's life spans the Industrial Revolution, he witnessed it as it unfolded and he painted it. In the process he created a whole new kind of art. The programme examines nine key Turner paintings and shows how we should re-think them in the light of the scientific and Industrial Revolution. Includes interviews with historian Simon Schama and artist Tracey Emin.