Empire Skate

I'm Your Venus(en)

The two very different families of "Paris Is Burning" star Venus Xtravaganza unite to honor her and reopen her unsolved murder case.

Deciding Vote(en)

50 years ago, assemblyman George Michaels cast a single vote on New York's abortion bill that changed the course of American history but destroyed his political career in the process.

New York Underground(en)

Profiles the culture, lifestyles, and rituals within the New York City subways.

Don't Bring A Dog(en)

Don't Bring A Dog shows a part of the New York underground music scene - rooted in the early eighties - existing apart from MTV and billboard charts. Music, interviews, sounds and pictures of the city blend into a collage. Don't Bring A Dog works like a time capsule of people and music in NY at a particular moment

Secrets of the Empire State Building(en)

Road Less Traveled(en)

For most of us skateboarding is a way of life, but somehow the focus of almost every skate video has been based around single tricks that come together to make individual video parts. While we’ve always enjoyed watching and making these types of videos, there’s something special about knowing what went into a project and what it was like for those who experienced it first hand. Therefore, when we set out to make the new Fallen video, we wanted to document every aspect of our missions with the goal of taking the viewer on the journey with us. Over the course of two and a half years, we traveled to Turkey, Croatia, South Africa, Portugal, the American West and Thailand. The memories alone made the extended travel and uncomfortable situations worth the effort. We invite you to join us on the Road Less Traveled.

Eastwood After Hours(en)

On October 17, 1996, veteran and contemporary jazz greats gathered for a select soiree on the stage of New York's Carnegie Hall, saluting a guy more noted for making popular films than for making sweet music. But as any fan of Clint Eastwood, especially after he started directing 30 years ago, will attest, the award-winning star is also an inveterate jazz lover who has uniquely integrated that musical form into the scores of his films. Join Joshua Redman, Christian McBride, Flip Phillips, Charles McPherson, James Rivers, Slide Hampton, Hank Jones, Thelonious Monk Jr., the Kyle Eastwood Quartet, the Carnegie Hall Jazz Band and more for this scintillating celebration of film and music.

Shine a Light(en)

Martin Scorsese and the Rolling Stones unite in "Shine A Light," a look at The Rolling Stones." Scorsese filmed the Stones over a two-day period at the intimate Beacon Theater in New York City in fall 2006. Cinematographers capture the raw energy of the legendary band.

Taxi-vala/Auto-biography(en)

A documentary exploring the experiences and attitudes of Indian and Pakistani taxi drivers in New York City while also questioning the filmmaker's relationship to these South Asian immigrants and to his mixed-race heritage.

Die Menschenfischer(en)

All the Streets Are Silent: The Convergence of Hip Hop and Skateboarding (1987-1997)(en)

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, skateboarding and hip-hop culture collide in downtown Manhattan. Archival footage from the era showcases the fusion of these two forms of expression.

We Were Once Kids(en)

In the early nineties, before the massive gentrification of many of New York's then slums, several young people from very disparate backgrounds left their broken homes and ventured onto the brutal streets of the city. United by their love of skateboarding, they formed a family and built a unique lifestyle that eventually inspired Kids, a groundbreaking and outrageous film directed by photographer Larry Clark and released in 1995.

Stockholm Syndrome(en)

Stockholm Syndrome chronicles the meteoric rise of contemporary trendsetter A$AP Rocky, capturing the exuberance of youth and urgency of hip-hop in equal parts, before taking a detour into darkness. With amazing access, the film reveals Rocky’s experience with the inequities of the Swedish judicial system and the dangers of stardom and scapegoating through a series of twists and turns, ultimately paralleling the need for prison reform in our own backyard. Directed by The Architects, the film blends archival footage with contemporary interviews, animation, and electrifying live concert footage to tell the astonishing story of how one of rap’s biggest superstars became embroiled in an international incident, leading to an unexpected political awakening.

Brooklyn Bridge: An Engineering Masterpiece(de)

The Brooklyn Bridge spans the East River and connects Manhattan and Brooklyn, the two centers of the port city of New York. Its architect Johann Roebling was one of the great inventors and master builders of his time. The wire rope: his product. The suspension bridge: his dream. The film tells the amazing story of the Roebling family and the spectacular history of the Brooklyn Bridge.

Weiner(en)

Documentary featuring a jaw-dropping, behind-the-scenes look at the attempted comeback of Anthony Weiner in 2013 as he mounts a campaign for New York City mayor in the wake of his sexting scandal. Featuring unfettered access to the candidate and his campaign.

Board Control(no)

From 1978 to 1989 skateboarding was illegal in Norway, as the only country in the world it was not legal to sell, buy or use skateboard in this period. The film follows two generations of skaters - from the underground culture in the late 70s, with skating on secret locations in the forest around Oslo, to the commercial explosion when skating was legalized in 1989. The film says something about the Norwegian governments overprotective policy, but it also shows the paradox of how the prohibition led to a unique and creative environment.

Pompeii New York, Part 1: Pier Caresses(en)

A crumbling pier, its walls covered with graffiti and erotic frescoes reminiscent of pagan Pompeii, the locus of the seduction rituals of men longing for men, is the focus of this meditation on gay cruising at the height of sexual freedom before AIDS. Shot in 1982, this is the first segment of a film capturing the life, death, and rebirth of the legendary “sex piers” over the last three decades.

Chelsea Hotel(en)

This TV documentary shows some of the colourful residents of and people connected with the New York Chelsea Hotel. Some highlights include Andy Warhol and William Burroughs having dinner; Quentin Crisp pontificating in a blue rinse hairdo on his balcony and Nico forgetting what she is talking about halfway through a dour rendition of "Chelsea Girls". A number of lesser-known characters also appear, linked together by a tour guide walking around the building and some sub-Shining sequences of a child cycling round the landings on a rickety tricycle.

Dogtown and Z-Boys(en)

This award-winning, thrilling story is about a group of discarded kids who revolutionized skateboarding and shaped the attitude and culture of modern day extreme sports. Featuring old skool skating footage, exclusive interviews and a blistering rock soundtrack, DOGTOWN AND Z-BOYS captures the rise of the Zephyr skateboarding team from Venice's Dogtown, a tough "locals only" beach with a legacy of outlaw surfing.

Always at The Carlyle(en)

The iconic Carlyle hotel has been an international destination for a particular jet set as well as a favorite haunt of the most discernible New Yorkers.