The Nagano Tapes Premieres in Montreal

Montreal friends! Join us next Wednesday evening, March 28th from 6pm-9pm at Cinéma Du Quartier Latin for an exclusive VIP screening event of The Nagano Tapes. The first feature-length documentary film by the Olympic Channel, The Nagano Tapes tells the inspiring true story of the still talked about game between Canada and the Czech's men’s ice hockey competition at the 1998 Nagano Games. Seating is limited, so please be sure to RSVP now and email RSVP@vocalnyc.com. #olympics #olympicchannel #thenaganotapes #hockey #canada #montreal #czechrepublic #VIP #exclusive #premiere #march #2018 #limited #panel #screening #wednesday #1998 #inspiring #competition #nagano #games

For all media inquiries contact VOCAL.  

The Nagano Tapes: Every Underdog has its Day

Olympic Channel’s Five Rings Films Debuts The Nagano Tapes, the Inspiring True Story of the Czech Republic’s Shocking Victory in Men’s Ice Hockey at the 1998 Nagano Games

Even without an interest in sports, The Nagano Tapes documentary tells a rousing and riveting story that’s difficult to pause, and one that leaves the viewer imbued with the pride and hope the Czech Republic felt with their ice hockey victory at the 1998 Winter Olympics. For ice hockey fans, this is 110 minutes of intimate player commentary, never-before-seen footage and action-packed replays spotlighting one of the sports most iconic tournaments in its long history.

A decade after the fall of the Iron Curtain, the flame of national purpose and identity had begun to burn as low as the world’s expectations of their performance against the all-star teams that the Eastern Bloc had relinquished to North America — only a handful of which were recruited to represent the Czech Republic on the ice in Nagano, Japan. Yet against all foreseeable odds, the Czech ice hockey team faced the superpowers and super teams of the world to bring home a gold medal in the sport that had for almost half a century kept the nation in positive hope of self-determination.

Created by The Olympic Channel in partnership with award-winning producer Frank Marshall (Indiana Jones, Bourne Identity), The Nagano Tapes comes to life with exclusive interviews with some of the world’s best ice hockey players who relive their experience in precise detail including the Czech Republic’s Hašek, Jágr and Petr Svoboda, Canada’s Theo Fleury, Eric Lindros and Marc Crawford (Coach), the USA’s Brett Hull and the Russian Federation’s Alexei Yashin.

Directed by Sundance award winner Ondřej Hudeček from the Czech Republic, The Nagano Tapes also features never-before-seen IMAX footage and exclusive International Olympic Committee (IOC) archive material. The Nagano Tapes moniker is a nod to the popular video tapes and VCR’s of the time, while the documentary also uses throwback music and video from the decade keeping with the 90’s theme.

The Nagano Tapes is the first film in the Olympic Channel’s signature documentary series, Five Rings Films — a five-episode series of incisive and entertaining documentaries directed by some of the biggest names in film from around the world.

Currently available SVOD online at olympicchannel.com in the US with a TV subscription to Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA, the film will be available online on-demand [for free] without a subscription in the US starting March 31.

Highlights from the 1998 Winter Olympics ice hokey tournament:

• Canada easily won its three of its lead-up games, scoring 12 goals. Sweden followed with 2 wins and 1 loss, and the United States finished with a disappointing record of just 1 win and 2 losses. Meanwhile, Russia won each of its 3 games in its grouping, with the Czech Republic winning 2 and Finland only 1. The United States and Canada were once again the favorites for the gold-medal contention, with Sweden expected to take home at least the bronze.

• In the quarter-finals, Canada defeated Kazakhstan and the Czech Republic the United States — both by the same 4-1 results. And Finland edged Sweden 2-1 while Russia beat Belarus 4-1. 

• The semi-finals saw Russia eliminate Finland with a 7-4 win. Canada faced the Czech Republic in an exhilarating game that saw two intense periods, after which Jiri Slegr gave the Czechs a 1-0 lead. However, Canada came back to tie the game with 63 seconds remaining when Trevor Linden scored to force a ten-minute overtime. Dominik Hasek for the Czechs and Patrick Roy for Canada were exceptional in defending the net, and needed to be as they moved into a shoot-out with the Czech Republic skating away with the win. 

• The following day, the Czech Republic and Russia were showcased in the Olympic gold medal contest at Nagano's Big Hat Arena. Dominik Hasek was again the hero in defending goal attempts, but it was Petr Svoboda who solidified the gold medal with his slap from near the blue line midway through the third period to score the game’s only goal.

The Motivation 2: The Chris Cole Story

THE ONE SKATEBOARD FILM YOU NEED TO WATCH THIS YEAR

World Premiere June 20 at the LA Live in Los Angeles Followed by Worldwide Release on iTunes June 23 through The Orchard

This summer, director Adam Bhala Lough will again deliver a unique view into the world of skateboarding with his sequel documentary Motivation 2: The Chris Cole Story, in which we learn of the trials and triumphs of an underdog that made it all the way to the top. Featuring interviews with some of the most respected figures in skateboarding, including Tony Hawk, Rob Dyrdek, Stevie Williams, Rodney Mullen, Bam Margera and Jamie Thomas, this is already one of the most anticipated sport documentaries of the year.

Street skateboarding has evolved from a subculture into a legitimate sport, and with that has emerged very real physical and psychological struggles for the athletes. It was to gain an understanding and appreciation for the behind-the-scenes world that the Tribeca Film Festival favorite The Motivation was produced, following eight of the world’s top street skateboarders in the lead-up to the Street League world championship. In Motivation 2, Lough brings the lens closer to focus on a single champion: Chris Cole.

“One of my favorite things is to watch a kid be so obviously obsessed and in love with skating. I like to be a part of their experience in that way,” says professional skateboarder Chris Cole. “I know that there are kids out there that are just waiting for something to inspire them. If my story can be that inspiration for a kid, that’s really exciting.”

Shot over the course of a year in San Diego, Los Angeles, Philadelphia and China, Motivation 2 is the story of a man that earned his place as an innovator, motivator and legend in skateboarding that now creates inspiration and opportunity for a new generation. Cole’s progression from humble neighborhood beginnings to the world of elite street skateboarding is revealed through recently discovered archival footage, presenting a skater that went on to achieve the highest amount of skate contest wins, a list of defining video parts, being twice selected as Thrasher magazine’s Skater of the Year, back-to-back X-Games gold medals, and becoming the 2013 Street League Super Crown World Champion.

American film director, screenwriter, and documentary filmmaker Adam Bhala Lough has made a mark in exposing alluring subcultures, and is already highly acclaimed: nominated for a Spirit Award for Best First Feature, included in Filmmaker Magazine’s Top 25 Independent Filmmakers to Watch list, and is the only filmmaker to have a documentary, a fictional film and a screenplay at Sundance Film Festival. Scored by Julian Wass, Motivation 2 features original tracks from a host of up-and-coming talent including former Das Racist member KOOL A.D., Bay Area punk band Younger Lovers, NPR Tiny Desk winner Fantastic Negrito, acclaimed San Jose rapper Antwon, Jim Jarmusch's band SQURL, KOOL A.D.’s punk outfit Party Animal, and Philadelphia hardcore legends Turmoil.

“This is the most inspiring film I've made to date, and not just because of Chris's incredible back-story. What's truly inspiring is the work he's doing today,” says director Adam Bhala Lough. “Skateboarding is a global phenomenon and an untapped well of stories; we want to tell their stories. We are focused on making The Motivation series the No.1 documentary film series in skateboarding, eventually reaching beyond to other sports.”

Motivation 2: The Chris Cole Story will premiere June 20, at LA Live in Los Angeles, followed by an exclusive after-party at The Berrics. The worldwide release will be on iTunes through The Orchard June 23.

For all media inquiries contact VOCAL.  

"I Am Thalente" Proves that the Human Spirit can Skateboard

From the Streets of South Africa to California and into the Heart of skateboarding.

I Am Thalente is a verité documentary about once homeless skateboarder Thalente Biyela’s journey from the streets of South Africa to Los Angeles, California and into the heart of skateboarding. With the support of skate companies LRG and Bombshell, and skateboarding legends Kenny Anderson, Guy Mariano, and Marc Johnson, the producers have turned to specialist film crowd funding platform Seed & Spark to finance the completion of the documentary film offering unprecedented incentives and access to some of skateboarding’s greatest.

Nineteen year old Thalente Biyela has been homeless since age nine... At age 10, he was given his first skateboard. Skateboarding gave him an escape from the harsh realities of street life, a way to express himself, and led him to a community of friends who would become his family. His effortless style at a public skatepark in Durban quickly attracted international attention, and last year Thalente was given the opportunity to travel to the states and skate with some of the industry’s most accomplished pros: A dream unimaginable for a homeless kid whose inevitable journey begins and ends on the streets.

Whilst this story hinges on Thalente’s love of skateboarding, it gives insight into the challenges that homeless youths face without family, literacy, role models, or hope. Skateboarding becomes a source of strength and competence for Thalente to rise out of circumstance and make a place for himself in the world. His journey offers a unique perspective on skateboarding, the power of uncompromised acceptance, community and individuality.

Says director Natalie Johns, “I Am Thalente is this young man’s resume, his character reference and his best chance to continue down the path of building a better life. More than this, it is a chance to experience and support one boy’s struggle for survival and unwavering dream to spread the love of skateboarding.”

Johns met Thalente through friends and family in her hometown of Durban and was instantly captivated by his incredibly story. She has documented his journey to the US, his warm acceptance into the skateboarding community in LA, and the guidance by pro skater Kenny Anderson. In the opening of I am Thalente’s Seed&Spark pitch video, Kenny Anderson is at a loss for words to describe Thalente’s affinity for skateboarding: “I don’t know, it’s just like that unexplainable type thing. When you see it, you know it.” Which is perhaps why Johns’ film will be so important to bring Thalente’s story to the screen: audiences will see what words cannot capture.