A new independent Irish feature documentary ‘Hill Street’, which examines the evolution of Skateboarding culture in Dublin since the late 1980s to the present day, is in the final stages of post-production. Directed by JJ Rolfe (cinematographer, Dublin in Pieces) and produced by Warrior Films’ Dave Leahy, highlights of the doc include pro-skater Tony Hawk’s visit to Dublin’s Top Hat Ballroom skate park.
The film centres on a skate shop in North Dublin inner city, Clive’s of Hill Street. Proprietor Clive Rowen progressed the skateboard scene through the building of primitive ramps at the shop before graduating to a temporary skate park in the Top Hat Ballroom in South Dublin and later managed to convince the infamous Bones Brigade, including notable skateboarder, Tony Hawk, to visit the park for a demo. The film further charts the eventual development of Irish skateparks from early private parks to the public park boom of the last decade.
Several Directors of Photography worked on the film which shot over the last twelve months. These included Deirdre O’Toole, Arthur Mulhern (If I Should Fall Behind) and Evan Barry (The Christmas Ward). The doc includes interviews which shot on RED and EX1; bespoke skateboard footage on Red / Canon DSLR and EX3 and archival photo and video, much of which has never been seen before. Music and sound were organised by Gareth Averill (composer, Small Change) whilst the film is being edited by Eamonn Cleary (Modern Poverty) at his own studio.
On the topic of the film’s budget, producer Dave Leahy tells us that: “The film is completely independent which is why it took over 12 months. We shot almost every month, between other projects and when interviewees were available. Key to the success of the film was the huge support from the Irish skateboard scene.”
Leahy’s Warrior Films now plan to take the feature doc on the festival circuit and are currently in discussions with Irish and international broadcasters and distributors. The doc is to have a screening on Saturday, May 21st in Dublin's Filmbase with ticket information available here
