Independent Films, Film Profiles

Dogtown and Z-Boys

Dogtown and Z-Boys (2001) is a documentary about the history of skateboarding. It won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Documentary Feature.Using a mix of film of the Zephyr skateboard team shot in the 1970s by Craig Stecyk and more recent interviews, the documentary tells the story of a group of teenage surfer/skateboarders and their influence on the history of skateboarding (and to a lesser extent surfing) culture. It is narrated by Sean Penn and directed by Stacy Peralta.Much of the archival footage used in the film came from teenagers who wanted to be a part of the Z-Boys group but were not good enough skateboarders so they got to be a part of the Z-Boys group by filming and photographing them.The film's $400,000 budget was financed by Vans, Inc., whose skateboarding shoes Stacy Peralta had been paid to endorse during his days as a professional skateboarder.Dogtown is the nickname of a portion of "the Santa Monica, California area that Pacific Ocean Park bridge[s].Jeff Ho's shop was on the corner of Bay and Main, right next to where the Horizons West shop founded by Z-Boy Nathan Pratt currently exists.The Z-Boy story was also made into a feature film, Lords of Dogtown, in late 2005.