Murals and Street Art

"This film joyfully profiles the life and work of celebrated artist Edythe Boone whose colorful murals portray some of the major events of our time and illustrate the transformative power of art.

Long before Black Lives Matter became a rallying cry, septuagenarian Boone embodied that truth as an accomplished artist and educator. From humble Harlem roots, the indefatigable Boone pursued her love of art and her dream of someday creating a new color - "a color that no one had ever seen before."

. . . Filmed over five years, A NEW COLOR illuminates how the passionate, heart-felt work of one resilient woman can reverberate throughout a community and inspire both art and a more powerful chorus for justice."

In 2009, the Joan Miro Foundation in Barcelona organized an exhibition that brought together a group of contemporary mural artists from very different cultural and stylistic backgrounds. This documentary follows these artists as they work and discuss the use of an empty wall as a canvas and expressive medium.

The participants included women from Djajibine Soninke, Mauritania; New York Times illustrator and editor Brian Rea; Thai muralist Sakarin Krue-On; Mexican artist Jeronimo Hagerman; Nuria + Eltono from Spain; and many others. In all, twelve artists participated of the exhibit.

View the fantastic murals at Cacaxtla in central Mexico, arguably the finest in Mesoamerica. Then look at the famous Temple of the Feathered Serpent in Xochicalco, which, like the Cacaxtla murals, represents the influence of the vanished Teotihuacan and classic Maya cultures.

An innovative and stylish take on the impact street art has in Northern Ireland, TOGETHER IN PIECES presents infamous murals and political slogans that have taunted its communities for over 40 years, yet which are being slowly transformed by a graffiti revolution.

In Derry, the birthplace of "the Troubles" and also the cradle of the Peace Process, creativity and expression transform didactic public art into a vehicle of choice, liberation and opportunity for young people to escape the tyranny of the past and bring the power of culture into their future. TOGETHER IN PIECES captures this transformation and reflects an emerging vibrant Northern Ireland which is not part of the 'official' narrative promoted by institutions, even today.

Next: A Primer in Urban Painting is a documentary exploration of graffiti-based visual art as a world culture. The filmmaker profiles the art form in nine countries including USA, Canada, France, Holland, Germany, England, Spain, Japan and Brazil. A combination of verite moments and interviews with painters, "writers", designers, documentarians and other participants within the subculture, the film conveys the dynamism and creative brilliance of this important emerging artistic movement.

Young, up and coming street artist Budda is on a path to develop his skills as a portraiture artist, yet has to overcome the challenges set upon him by the society he lives in today, as well as the law. Budda recognises the benefits of following the rules set out by the original street artists of New York, and is inspired by multi disciplinary artists Jean Basquiat and Matt Adnate, both of whom worked in major cities where the art movement is prominent. Having never left the centre of Australia, Budda is taken on a journey to Melbourne where he develops a large-scale mural with one of his idols.

From the streets of Bristol to the caverns of London and beyond, BanksyDoc finds the truths and explores the impact that the world's most famous graffiti artist has had on the art world, on the expression of protest and satire, and on the perception of what you can do with a spray can and a stencil. Furthermore, this documentary explores the highly active art collector's world and how the celebrity factor shockingly influences value.

In his short career, Jean-Michel Basquiat was a phenomenon. He became notorious for his graffiti art under the moniker Samo in the late 1970s on the Lower East Side scene, sold his first painting to Deborah Harry for $200 and became best friends with Andy Warhol. Appreciated by both the art cognoscenti and the public, Basquiat was launched into international stardom. However, soon his cult status began to override the art that had made him famous in the first place. Director Tamra Davis pays homage to her friend in this definitive documentary, but also delves into Basquiat as an iconoclast. His dense, bebop-influenced neoexpressionist work emerged while minimalist, conceptual art was the fad; as a successful black artist, he was constantly confronted by racism and misconceptions. Much can be gleaned from insider interviews and archival footage, but it is Basquiat's own words and work that powerfully convey the mystique and allure of both the artist and the man.