On Wednesday, September 11, the film B-Boy for Life, a documentary produced by Louisville-based organization Nadus Films, premiered at Baxter Avenue Theaters on Bardstown Road. The documentary is the third Nadus project, following the first two, The New Sudan and Grace Surpasses, which both took place in war-ravaged Sudan, Africa.
Louisville filmmaker and B-Boy for Life director and producer Courey Deeb founded Nadus in 2005. Deeb wanted to make films that raise awareness to issues around the world. He has even provided scholarships for some of the main characters in its movies through private donations.
“Basically, to sum it up, we make films that make a difference,” said Deeb. “Our desire is to impact the community that we film in. We’re there, documenting cinematic stories that have an impactful experience with the viewer.”
B-Boy for Life explores the break dancing subculture in Guatemala city, one of the most gang-ridden cities in the world. One of the central characters in the film is Leidy, a former active gangster who, after being released from prison, built a lasting friendship with members of the Poker Crew. Most of the members of the central dance crew in the movie have had close relatives killed due to gang violence. Deeb and the rest of the movie crew filmed in Guatemala City for 3.5 weeks.
“I like knowing that’s there’s a mission and goal behind the film,” said Jonathan Mobley (36) who attended the event. “It doesn’t just end when the film ends. It’s continuing on like it’s an unfinished story.”
Dozens of premiere spectators clustered into the Baxter Avenue Theatre lobby at around seven at night and the movie did nor start until 7:30. The premiere ended with a speech by Deeb and a surprise Skype call with four of the main characters in the movie. Spectators were allowed to ask them questions through translation, which the characters answered. Some of the questions brought up were “Were you comfortable sharing your personal experiences?” “Will Gato ever cut his hair?” “What did you think whenever you were introduced to Coury and the team?” and “What is your perseption on American break dancing?”
