Deathbowl to Downtown

skate, Movies

2008  |   66 mins

Among modern cities, New York stands alone as the quintessential skating town- the place where the revolution in street skating got its start…. With manic intensity, creativity, cultural ferment and its tangled urban landscape, NYC’s mean streets in the ‘80s was ripe for the birth of a new type of modern skating; where stairs, banks, handrails, and benches could be ollied over, into, and down. In Deathbowl to Downtown, New York is a central “character” to the unfolding of what would be celebrated as one of the most creative and innovative periods in the history of the sport – and saw the rise of some of the sport’s legends like Mike Vallely, Mark Gomez, Ryank Hickey, Felix Arguelles, Javier Nunez, Andy Kessler and many others. Directed by legendary filmmakers Buddy Nichols and Rick Charnowski (“Fruit of the Vine,” “Northwest,” “Tent City”), Deathbowl takes viewers beyond the usual tricks to explore the culture, artwork, music, and fashion of that era, traced through skating's evolution from the parks and pools of the 70's, to ramp skating in the 80's, to the street ascendancy of the 1990's. Featuring interviews with old school originators, as well as the newest school up steppers, as well as never‐before‐seen video footage, Deathbowl to Downtown is an entertaining and thought-provoking take on why the action on New York's dirty, grimy, and hectic streets represents skateboarding to millions of skaters and non‐skaters worldwide. Featuring Mark Gonzales, Andy Kessler, Rodney Smith, Keith Hufnagel, Gino Iannucci, Peter Bici, Jeff Pang, Harold Hunter and many more.