BOMB IT - - Global GRAFFITI & Street Art DOCUMENTARY-

(Jon Reiss, États-Unis 2007, 93 min) In English only

“Bomb It” investigates the most subversive and controversial art form currently shaping international youth culture: graffiti. Through interviews and guerilla footage of graffiti writers in action on 5 continents, the film tells the story of graffiti from its origins in prehistoric cave paintings thru its notorious explosion in New York City during the 70's and 80's, then follows the flames as they paint the globe. Featuring old school legends and current favorites such as KRS-One, Taki 183, Cornbread, Stay High 149, T-Kid, Cope 2, Zephyr, Revs, Os Gemeos, KET, Shepard Fairey, Revok, and Mear One.The film made the Sundance Channel documentary Better Living Through Circuitry featuring Crystal Method, Roni Size, and Moby and was awarded the Best First Feature at the Cinequest Film Festival. His works have been distributed through First Run Features, and aired on the IFC and Showtime channels. Ress is also an accomplished music video director of such artists as The Black Crowes, Danzig, Slayer, the Kottonmouth Kings and Nine Inch Nails which was voted one of the Top Ten by the Village Voice Critics Poll for Best Music Videos. The film’s soundtrack combines a striking roster of hip hop, electronic music and native sounds from some of the locales visited. Highlights include tracks by Immortal Technique, Big Syphe, Disco D, Donald Byrd, Spank Rock, Virgin Tears vs Dave The Hustler, and Mathematics. Indie record labels such as Highpoint Lowlife, Daptone Records, and Ninja Tune.

OFFICIAL SELECTION: Tribeca Film Festival, WORLD PREMIER, Doclisboa, Closing Night Centerpiece, Sao Paulo International Film Festival, Cork International Film Festival, Helsinki International Film Festival, Calgary International Film Festival, Oslo International Film Festival, Leeds International Film Festival.

www.bombit-themovie.com

JON REISS

Named one of “10 Digital Directors to Watch” by Daily Variety, Jon Reiss is completing post production on “Bomb It” a feature documentary covering the explosion of graffiti culture throughout the world – shot on five continents featuring such seminal figures as Taki 183, Shepard Fairey, Os Gemeos, Revok and many more.

His last documentary feature film was Better Living Through Circuitry, a startling, humorous and entertaining glimpse into the exploding rave culture featuring such acts as the Crystal Method, Roni Size, and Moby, among others. The film played at such festivals as RESfest, Rotterdam, Sao Paulo, Copenhagen, Los Angeles Independent, Seattle, Vancouver, and Sheffield International Doc Festival before being released theatrically in the United States. Following its theatrical distribution the film had numerous screenings on Showtime and Sundance Channel as well as a worldwide DVD/VHS release.

Reiss’ first film, Cleopatra’s Second Husband, is a dark psychological drama which screened at the Los Angeles Independent, Seattle, Montreal World, Hamptons, Houston, Sao Paulo and Bangkok film festivals, winning Best First Feature at Cinequest before its theatrical release in the United States and subsequent DVD release by First Run Features. The film will made its bow on IFC/Rainbow Cable in 2006.

As an award-winning music video director, Reiss has directed videos for Nine Inch Nails, The Black Crowes, Danzig, Slayer, and the Kottonmouth Kings. Reiss’ “Happiness in Slavery” video for Nine Inch Nails won awards at the Chicago and San Francisco film festivals and was voted Top Ten by the Village Voice Critics Poll for Best Music Video. In 1995 the Toronto Film Festival curated a retrospective of Reiss’ music videos. His shorts screened at festivals throughout the world including Sundance, Berlin, New Directors/New Films, Edinburgh, and Chicago. Reiss received his MFA from the UCLA Film School.

Jon Reiss’ early credits also include four hour-long documentaries concerning the notorious performance group Survival Research Laboratories. These documentaries have screened in festivals, theaters and cultural centers throughout the world. All were included on a compilation DVD 10 Years of Robotic Mayhem released Summer 2004. Reiss got his start in filmmaking at Target Video, a San Francisco based alternative video company where he covered much of the West Coast punk explosion.

Filmography:

Bombit The explosive new international graffiti documentary.

Better Living Through Circuitry as Writer/Director 1999 Documentary Feature A startling, humorous and entertaining documentary examining the exploding rave/electronic music scene featuring The Crytal Method, Roni Size, Moby as well as noted DJs Keoki, Carl Cox, DJ Spooky, Frankie Bones.

Cleopatra's Second Husband as Writer/Director/Producer 1998 Narrative Feature "An insidiously clever movie, a variation on those creepy 1960s British classics, "The Servant" and "The Collector". The SeattleTimes

A shrewdly crafted riff on the subject of house-sitters from hell. First-time director Jon Reiss evinces indisputable control over his material, which most directly recalls the Pinter-Losey classic "The Servant" in its look at an insidious power shift between unsavory men in a household. Daily Variety

Numerous Music Videos as Director 1992 to Present 1998 Numerous music videos including: Nine Inch Nails "Happiness in Slavery". Voted Top 10 Village Voice Critics Poll for Best Music Video and Winner of the Golden Gate Award of the San Francisco Film Festival and Silver Plaque at the Chicago Film Festival. Retrospective at the Toronto Film Festival.

"Love is Like That" as Producer 1991 Feature film starring Tom Sizemore, Pamela Gidley, Seymour Cassel, Richard Edson, Debi Mazar, Joe Dallesandro. International theatrical and domestic home video distribution .

"The Pleasures of Uninhibited Excess" as Producer and Director 1990 SRLs biggest shows to date including documentation of their first semi permanent installation.

"The Will to Provoke" as Producer and Director 1989 "Reiss' camera and mike nimbly bounce between the SRL corps, their machines in performance and the stunned spectators that try to make sense of the crazy Americans" LA Weekley Pick of the Week

"A Bitter Message of Hopeless Grief" as Producer, Director and Editor 1988 "Reiss' fast paced film views like a Gumby episode that's gone terribly, terribly wrong." Steven Mikulan LA Weekley Pick of the Week

"Virtues of Negative Fascination" as Producer, Director and Editor 1987 "the feel of a lost Peckinpah robotics film. Heavy shit." Forced Exposure

"Baited Trap" as Writer - Director - Producer - Editor 1986 Short Film "Simply one of the best short films I've seen, anywhere." Option Magazine "Twelve minutes of noirish fun, exquisitely filmed" Steven Mikulan LA Weekley Pick of the Week

"A Scenic Harvest From the Kingdom of Pain" as Producer, Director and Editor 1984 "Disturbing, fascinating and recomended . . . Perhaps the world's best rock video." Richard Gehr LA Reader

"Seven Machine Performances" as Editor 1981 The earliest documentation of SRL.

Target Video as Associate Director/Editor 1980-1981 Documented numerous punk bands including Black Flag, The Dead Kennedys, The Circle Jerks etc. Edited the tapes and went on tour screening them in theatres, cultural centers and clubs throughout the United States and Europe.