16 Essential Skate Culture Films!

SUMMARY

“Films ranked from newest to oldest”

Skater Girl

FR Title: Skater Girl

OG Title: Skater Girl

Country: United States & India

Directors: Manjari & Vinati Makijany

Release Date: 06/11/2021

“Skater Girl is a coming-of-age story about confidence, courage, and the importance of forging your own path.”

Prerna, a young girl from a remote village in Rajasthan (India), lives a traditional adolescence full of ancestral obligations and duties dictated by Rajasthani society. She lives with her parents and younger brother in great poverty.

But when Jessica, a young Westerner "originally from London" and director of an advertising company, arrives in the village to learn more about her late father's childhood, Prerna's life will be changed forever.

Jessica and her old friend (Jonathan Readwin), who joins her on her adventure, travel by skateboard. All the village children are intrigued, then introduced to the exciting new adventure of skateboarding.

It's at this moment that Prerna discovers a passion for this sport that will change her life, but her journey will be fraught with obstacles.

Determined to raise awareness and encourage skateboarding in Rajasthan, Jessica embarks on a difficult battle to change mindsets, leaving Prerna with a tough choice: conform to society's expectations or pursue her dreams…

Skate Kitchen

FR Title: Skate Kitchen

OG Title: Skate Kitchen

Country: United States

Director: Crystal Moselle

Release Date: 2018

“Revealed by the documentary 'The Wolfpack,' Crystal Moselle delivers a beautiful testament to friendship.”

In New York, the life of Camille, a solitary and introverted 18-year-old skateboarding enthusiast, much to her mother's despair who finds the activity too dangerous, will be turned upside down by new encounters.

Determined to pursue her passion for skateboarding, she meets a group of girls who, like her, love to ride the streets of New York. They are the "Skate Kitchen," and Camille joins the group, radically changing her life.

The "Skate Kitchen" aren't afraid to assert themselves in a predominantly male environment. Alongside them, Camille will find herself, discovering female friendship and solidarity. She will also meet the enigmatic Devon, who won't leave her indifferent.

All these changes will distance her from her mother, with whom she gets along less and less…

Skate Kitchen inspired the series "Betty" with the same heroines.

90s

FR Title: 90s

OG Title: Mid90s

Country: United States

Director: Jonah Hill

Release Date: 2018

“Inspired by actor Jonah Hill's adolescence, 90s is a realistic, sensitive, and funny teen movie.”

One summer in the mid-90s, in a working-class Los Angeles suburb, Stevie, a shy 13-year-old boy, struggles to find his place in his family, caught between an absent, immature mother and a temperamental, brutal older brother.

The pre-teen tries to spend as little time at home as possible to escape his daily life. He has a true passion for skateboarding, so when he meets four older skaters during one of his escapades, he doesn't hesitate to be taken under their wing.

To live the summer of his life, a summer of firsts, transgressions, and the discovery of new freedom…

Behind the Wall, California

FR Title: Behind the Wall, California

OG Title: This Ain’t California

Country: Germany

Director: Marten Persiel

Release Date: 2015

“We follow 3 kids who discover the love of skateboarding on the cracked sidewalks of 70s East Germany.”

(Skateboarding) What is it, a hobby, a sport? It's unacceptable!!!

That's probably what makes it so exciting!

This underground fairy tale-like story was created by this group of young people.

They managed to capture their lives on Super 8, allowing us to discover life in East Germany like never before.

This story begins in childhood in the 70s, before shifting to their turbulent adolescence in the 80s. In the autumn of 1989, they are 20 years old, and everything they've known since then is about to change forever…

Danger Dave

FR Title: Danger Dave

OG Title: Danger Dave

Country: Belgium

Director: Philippe Petit

Release Date: 2014

“The story of a professional skater in freefall, sublime and fragile, he refuses to grow old.”

“Danger Dave” or the tribulations of a professional skater at the end of his career with no desire to quit, or the sincere and uncompromising adventures of a passion lived in a haze.

For five years, Philippe Petit followed Belgian professional skater David Martelleur around the world, a sublime and fragile anti-hero who refused to grow old.

This filmmaker questions the downfall of a man who can no longer maintain a professional level, as his life is a long, festive, and libertarian drift.

Over time, their relationship grows, and a character is forged against all odds…

Which skate film would you add to this list? Drop your favourite. Drop a comment ↓