Empire Skate

Ballerina Boys(en)

Discover Les Ballets Trockadero de Monte Carlo (The Trocks), an all-male company that for 45 years has offered audiences their passion for ballet classics mixed with exuberant comedy. With every step they poke fun at their strictly gendered art form.

NEWS AT 11: LIBERTY EDITION(en)

News At 11: Liberty Edition is both the official visual companion to 猫 シ Corp.'s album News at 11, and a feature length odyssey through the late 20th century. Working closely with 猫 シ Corp., the archival experts of CCTV have synthesized media from hundreds of sources, creating a dreamlike meditation on the lost entertainment, telecommunications, and advertising that shaped a generation’s collective conscious. As we face an uncharted era of the Information Age, News at 11: Liberty Edition looks to the past to illuminate what might be ahead—championing our drive for resilience and innovation, while reminding us of our capacity for understanding and compassion.

The Iron Triangle: Willets Point and the Remaking of New York(en)

Targeted for several failed redevelopment plans dating back to the days of Robert Moses, Willets Point, a gritty area in New York City known as the “Iron Triangle,” is the home of hundreds of immigrant-run, auto repair shops that thrive despite a lack of municipal infrastructure support. During the last year of the Bloomberg Administration, NYC’s government advanced plans for a “dynamic” high-end entertainment district that would completely wipe out this historic industrial core. The year is 2013, and the workers of Willets Point are racing against the clock to forestall their impending eviction. Their story launches an investigation into New York City’s history as the front line of deindustrialization, urban renewal, and gentrification.

Skateboard Madness(en)

When a reporter too laid-back for his own good is told his last chance to keep his job is to get some good photos for a story on skateboarding, he seeks out a group of four boarders who agree to take him on a skateboarding tour of California. After showing extensive footage of skateboarding moves and tricks, the film then goes on to show some surfing and snowboarding. The film is also bookended by a pair of animated shorts, both about skateboard racing.

102 Minutes That Changed America(en)

The morning of September 11, 2001 is shown through multiple video cameras in and around New York City, from the moment the first WTC tower is hit until after both towers collapse.

Franz Kline - Remembered(en)

This documentary offers an intimate look at the life and legacy of American abstract expressionist Franz Kline. Through personal memories and reflections from those who knew him—such as fellow artist Willem de Kooning, de Kooning’s wife Elaine, and other contemporaries—the film paints a vivid portrait of Kline’s personality, artistic spirit, and lasting influence. Known for his powerful black and white compositions and bold brushwork, Kline is remembered not only for his art, but also for his wit, warmth, and passionate approach to painting. The episode explores both his creative process and the deep friendships that shaped his career.

Banksy Does New York(en)

On October 1, 2013, the elusive street artist Banksy launched a month-long residency in New York, an art show he called Better Out Than In. As one new work of art was presented each day in a secret location, a group of fans, called “Banksy Hunters,” took to the streets and blew up social media.

Free Your Mind(en)

Video #14″Free Your Mind showcases the talents of three individuals in pursuit of personal freedom Take a ride with Dan Drehobl Rob Welsh and Darrell Stanton as they get a lift from some familiar faces who understand the liberation that is skateboarding As Da Clown says “Everyone does their own thing that’s what makes the world go round” Open up your funky mind and you can fly” Dan Drehobl, Darrell Stanton, Rob Welsh

Pray for Me - The Jason Jessee Film(en)

'Pray For Me, Jason Jessee' is a documentary stunt ride with legendary former skateboard pro, custom chopper builder, and full-time lowrider Jason Jessee. Jason's family, friends (many of whom are living legends in diverse fields) and associates weave a riveting narrative on a truly fascinating, self-invented man. Jason's halting language and dozens of interviews from those who know him best and

New Deal - Useless Wooden Toys(en)

"a graphic moving picture documentary about a part of life that the common man deems absurd and foolhardy..."

NYC Foetus(en)

A documentary about composer/producer/performer JG Thirlwell and his musical alter-egos, including Foetus, Steroid Maximus and Manorexia. Featuring interviews with Thirlwell, Matt Johnson (The The), Alex Hacke (Neubauten), Michael Gira (Swans), Richard Kern, Lydia Lunch and more.

Coney Island(en)

Before there was Disneyland, there was Coney Island. By the turn of the century, this tiny piece of New York real estate was internationally famous. On summer Sundays, three great pleasure domes--Steeplechase, Luna Park and Dreamland--competed for the patronage of a half-million people. By day it was the world's most amazing amusement park, by night, an electric "Eden".

P.S. Burn This Letter Please(en)

A box found in an abandoned storage unit unearths a time capsule of correspondences from a forgotten era: the underground drag scene in 1950s New York City. Firsthand accounts and newly discovered footage help cast a long overdue spotlight on the unsung pioneers of drag.

This is an Address(en)

Stonewall veterans (including prominent trans activist Sylvia Rivera) and HIV-positive New Yorkers take up residency on the Hudson River piers as cranes raze vacant buildings for a new skyline.

Radical Moves(en)

Documentary type video on the NSA Skateboarding contest held at the Big Vancouver EXPO in 1986. EXPO was the last Worlds Fair held in North America, and the theme was "World in Motion", the NSA put on a big skateboarding contest with Vert, Slalom, Freestyle, 360's, Bowl Riding etc. probably the last great skateboarding contest to feature all the events at one time, Rodney Mullen wins Freestyle, Steve Cab wins Bowl Riding, Tony Hawk wins Vert..Jeff Phillips is there,Claus Grabbke and every star of the day, lots of crowd shots..The biggest skate contest to be put on film during that time.

Anti-Hero: The Body Corporate(en)

The Body Corporate made by Anti-Hero skateboards. That wasn’t the original title we had in mind. We were pushing for “Reality Breakdown”. But things changed along the way. The video itself came out a lot different than the video we thought we were making, and that’s not a bad thing. This is the video we came back from New Zealand with. It morphed from wanting to tell a story about skating being an act of defiance, a path away from the status quo & spoon fed commercialism & all that lazy stuff, to being the story of what drew these guys to skateboarding & why it sticks so strongly with some of us. In the end it still speaks to those other ideas, though not said out-loud. These guys poured their hearts into this thing & we couldn’t be more stoked on how it came out. We hope you dig it.

Secrets of the Empire State Building(en)

Methadonia(en)

Shot over the course of 18 months in New York City's Lower East Side, METHADONIA sheds light on the inherent flaws of legal methadone treatments for heroin addiction by profiling eight addicts, in various stages of recovery and relapse, who attend the New York Center for Addiction Treatment Services (NYCATS).

Foundation - Whippersnappers(en)

Keegan McCutchen sets the stage with his first part for the F Troop, followed by a barrage of heavy rips from the whole squad. Aidan Campbell earns the curtain call with a jaw-dropping offering for the ages.

Cliché - Freedom Fries(en)

The follow-up to 2003’s Bon Appetit! and the peak of trans-Atlantic political skateboard video naming, Freedom Fries solidified filmmaker Fred Mortagne's break from Flip Skateboards and moved Cliché firmly into the stateside mainstream.