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Saturday, August 6, 2011

VIGILANTE VIGILANTE, the battle for expression

A new breed of crime-fighter now stalks the urban landscape. Two filmmakers go undercover to expose anti-graffiti vigilantes who stop at nothing to rid their neighborhoods and cities of street art, stickers, tags, and posters. VIGILANTE VIGILANTE is a Palisades Entertainment release, runs for 86 minutes, is in English, and is not yet MPAA rated.

Synopsis:
Out on the quiet city streets, in the pre-dawn hours, a battle is being waged. For decades, graffiti writers, street artists, and bill-posters have contended with police and city clean up crews. Now they have a new enemy: the obsessive and self-motivated lone vigilante. The story begins with the “Silver Buff” - a mysterious character known only by his marks - who has prolifically painted over graffiti in Berkeley, CA for over 10 years. He has earned this nickname by being a "buffer", a vigilante who wipes out graffiti, and by consistently using silver paint to do so. From the start, the filmmakers reveal themselves not to be “objective” observers but instead involved operators seeking to unmask and stop the Silver Buff, who they see as hypocritical and destructive. The film broadens its focus to encompass questions of why people are motivated to do graffiti and how it relates to the wider culture, as well as why some may appreciate it while others hate it. VIGILANTE VIGILANTE introduces several interview subjects, including psychiatrists who discuss the vigilante character in American culture, as well as psychological insights into graffiti writers. The film depicts the story of a battle between two perspectives and two generations and challenges conventional wisdom about who the villains are in the fight over graffiti.

Whichever side of the issue you are on, there should be fuel for your viewpoint on this hot button issue. VIGILANTE VIGILANTE takes a look at both sides of this issue not just people who view graffiti as vandalism, but of people who are so incensed by what they perceive as blight that they are moved to actively combat it. The fact that their own behavior then puts them outside of the law makes it even more intriguing.

Filmed and set in my local area (Nor Cal The Bay baby!) the film makers stalk and finally unmask the "Silver Buff". A very compelling story that takes a closer look at taggers, advertising and people's own interpretation of art.

Opens August 12
Roxie in San Francisco, CA

Check your local theaters for showtimes in your area.

Getting 4 Graffiti Art Sheep
KD

2 comments:

  1. this sounds kind of cool. I wonder if it will make it to the East Coast?

    ReplyDelete
  2. It should...and if not check NetFlix for it over the coming months :)

    ReplyDelete