Bomb It
 | A major contributor to this article appears to have a close connection with its subject. (March 2020) |
| Bomb It | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Directed by | Jon Reiss |
| Produced by | Tracy Wares Jon Reiss Jeffrey Levy-Hinte Kate Christensen |
| Cinematography | Tracy Wares |
| Edited by | Alex Marquez Jessica Hernandez |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | Gravitas Ventures |
Release date |
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Running time | 94 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Bomb It is an international graffiti and street art documentary directed by Jon Reiss[1] that premiered at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival. Filmed on five continents, featuring cities such as New York, Cape Town, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Tokyo, Berlin and São Paulo, Bomb It explores the interplay between worldwide graffiti movements, the global proliferation of "Quality of Life" laws, and the fight for control over public space.
International graffiti artists collaborated with Reiss to create the film which features original footage from many graffiti artists beginning with the first modern graffiti artist Cornbread, to those who saw the take off of the art, TAKI 183 to more contemporary artists Shepard Fairey and Os Gemeos.[2]
In addition to TAKI 183, the film features Tracy 168, Terrible T-Kid 170, Cope2, Stay High 149, KRS-One, Revs, 2esae, Zephyr, Cornbread, DAIM, Blek le Rat, Shuck2, Ash, Skuf, Revok, Ron English, Chaz Bojorquez, Lady Pink, Mear One, Urban Theorists Stefano Bloch (UCLA Dept. of Urban Planning and University of Arizona) and Susan A. Phillips (Pitzer College), actor and filmmaker Russ Kingston,[3] Pez, Sixe, Falko, Faith47, Zezão, Ise, Kenor & Kode, Scage, Mickey, Chino, and Ket.
George L. Kelling, co-author of Broken Windows, an Atlantic Monthly article[4] that formed the basis for Rudy Giuliani's widely imitated gentrification campaign, was interviewed for this film.[5]
Reception
The New York Times wrote, "Bomb It isn't the first documentary to address the history and evolution of graffiti culture, and it probably won't be the last. But what distinguishes Jon Reiss's lively, sure-handed film from the rest is that it widens the spectrum by taking a comprehensively international viewpoint."[6]
Bomb It 2
The sequel Bomb It 2 (2010) was commissioned as a web series for the digital broadcast network Babelgum and expands the exploration of graffiti and street art into locations not covered in the first film.[7]
Continuing his investigation of international graffiti, Reiss traveled by himself to Bangkok, Jakarta, Singapore, Hong Kong, Tel Aviv, Palestinian refugee camps on the West Bank, Perth, Melbourne, Copenhagen, Chicago and Austin.[7] Artists featured include Klone, KnowHope, GreatBates, Zero Cents, Foma <3, INSPIRE 1, Darbotz, Killer Gerbil, Bon, Alex Face, Sloke, Husk Mit Navn, Ash, Phibs, Stormie Mills, Beejoir and others.[8]
References
- ^ Montero, Patrick (April 23, 2008). "'Bomb It' looks at all sides of graffiti issue". New York Daily News.
- ^ Guerrasio, Jason (March 12, 2007). "Tribeca Announces Competition and Spotlight Selections". Filmmaker.
- ^ "Jon Reiss Interview in culturenow.com". Bombit-themovie.com. June 24, 2008.
- ^ Kelling, George L.; Wilson, James Q. "Broken Windows: The police and neighborhood safety". The Atlantic (March 1982).
- ^ "Entertainment News, Headlines and Video - CBS News". Showbuzz.cbsnews.com. 2014-03-09. Retrieved 2014-07-19.[dead link]
- ^ Kern, Laura (April 25, 2008). "Getting to Graffiti Art's Roots". The New York Times.
- ^ a b Whittaker, Richard (July 31, 2013). "Jon Reiss Drops a 'Bomb' on Graffiti World". The Austin Chronicle. Retrieved March 16, 2021.
- ^ "Bomb It About | BOMB IT". Blog.bombit-themovie.com. Retrieved 2014-07-19.