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United Skates

Documentary Competition

World Premiere

USA | 90 MINUTES | English |

UNITED SKATES

Documentary, LGBT, Music, Female Director(s), NY Director(s), First Time Filmmaker, Female Screenwriter(s), Asian American Director(s)
Off the radar of mainstream American culture, the African-American roller-rink community has thrived for decades in cities across the country, fostering community, hosting performances by groundbreaking hip-hop artists including N.W.A. and Queen Latifah, and serving as the incubator for a radical blend of skating and dance that stands is its own unique art form, complete with regional variations. Despite this remarkable history, skating is in a precarious state; re-zoning policies have led to rinks closing down, and the long-standing, still-present practice of admission policies have, historically, restricted attendance to racially-coded “Adult Nights and even discouraged or barred black patrons entirely. ”

It’s to this present reality that directors Dyana Winkler and Tina Brown turn their cameras. United Skates visits black rink owners and observes skaters from Los Angeles, Chicago, North Carolina, and beyond as they travel across the United States, introduce their kids to the art, muse on its past and future, and,most importantly, skate. This electrifying work is at once a cultural history lesson, an investigation into racial politics, and a beautifully shot performance film.

—Brian Gordon

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CAST & CREDITS

Directed by Tina Brown and Dyana Winkler

United Skates is the first feature effort for filmmakers Dyana Winkler and Tina Brown. In addition to her documentary work, Winkler is also a screenwriter; she recently participated in the Sundance Institute Screenwriters Lab with fiction screenplay, Bell. Brown, a producer and production manager for television features and commercials, co-produced the feature-length documentary Dear Mandela.
Director
Dyana Winkler, Tina Brown
Producers
Dyana Winkler, Tina Brown
Cinematographers
Matthew Peterson, ACS, Tina Brown, Dyana Winkler
Composers
Jongnic Bontemps, Jim Winkler
Editor
Katharine Garrison
Executive Producers
Jeffrey Soros, Simon Horsman, Julie Parker Benello, Jim Butterworth, Daniel Chalfen, Brenda Robinson, John Legend, Mike Jackson, Ty Stiklorius
Associate Producer
Tiffany Fisher-Love
Consulting Producer
Laurens Grant
Cast
Phelicia Wright, Reggie Brown, Buddy Love

CONTACTS

Print Source
Tiffany Fisher-Love
Sweet Ninja Films
New York, NY 10023
Phone: 415 846 5331
tiffanyfisherlove@gmail.com
International Sales Contact
Kevin Iwashina
Endeavor Contact
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
Phone: 310 246 3119
KIwashina@endeavorcontent.com
Press Contact
Debbie Nathin
42 West
New York, New York 10028
Phone: 212-413-0807
debbie.nathin@42west.net
US Sales Contact
Kevin Iwashina
Endeavor Contact
Beverly Hills, CA 90210
Phone: 310 246 3119
KIwashina@endeavorcontent.com