Hybrid Cinema is pleased to announce the DVD release of global graffiti documentary Bomb It 2, by award-winning filmmaker-author Jon Reiss on Tuesday, November 5, 2013 via MVD Entertainment Group.  Going where no graffiti doc has gone before, in this follow-up to his explosive street art documentary Bomb It, Reiss travels to Asia, Australia, the Middle East, and beyond, exploring local graffiti scenes and speaking to local artists.  Graffiti and street artists featured include Ash Keating, Bon, Great Bates, Husk Mit Navn, Klone, Know Hope, Phibs, Stormie Mills, Vexta, Victor Ash, Xeme, and many others.  In keeping with the international approach to the film, Bomb It 2 had premieres on five continents – North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and Africa.  August 6th saw Bomb It 2’s VOD (Video On Demand) release on iTunes, Amazon, Vudu, Xbox, Google/YouTube and the Bomb It 2 website.  VOD via Hulu and Netflix are also scheduled for this fall.

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The Republic of South Africa’s Department of Arts and Culture will bring its South African Arts Festival 2013 (SAAF), a weekend of South African film and music, to Downtown Los Angeles for the first time, with events on Friday, October 4 through Sunday October 6, 2013. The inaugural SAAF 2013 will showcase seven South African films and seven musical artists representing the diversity of the South African experience at free events over two days.  Highlights include Saturday’s outdoor “South African Music Festival” at Grand Performances and a day of South African films screening on Sunday at Regal Cinemas L.A. LIVE Stadium 14 and Grand Performances.  Friday’s private preview and the Sunday closing night event both combine the screening of a South African feature film with an invitation-only reception.  Screenings will include animation, narrative, and documentary works.  Read the rest of this entry »

Theatre Raymond Kabbaz presents Traverse, an inventive dance, live music and theatre mash-up from the French performance company Arcosm, on Friday, February 1, 2013 at 7:30pm.  The physical and musical production takes one man’s boring daily household routine and explodes it into a magnificent spectacle of choreography and percussion, suitable for audiences of all ages.  Traverse was created in 2011 by Thomas Guerry, a dancer and choreographer, in collaboration with Camille Rocailleux, a percussionist, pianist, and composer.  All ages are welcome.  The event is supported by FLAX (France Los Angeles Exchange). Read the rest of this entry »

Theatre Raymond Kabbaz, in association with The Jazz Bakery, presents the powerful Ibrahim Maalouf Quintet on Thursday, January 10, 2013 at 7:30pm.  The event is the Los Angeles stop of the quintet’s international tour for its new album, Wind, released in November 2012.  French-Lebanese Ibrahim Maalouf, on trumpet, will be joined on-stage by Frank Woeste on piano, Ira Coleman on double bass, Walter Smith on saxophone, and Clarence Penn on drums.  Wind is an original score, composed by Maalouf, for the René Clair silent film The Prey of the Wind.  The event is supported by the French Embassy/Cultural Services.  Read the rest of this entry »

Listen for Life is honored to bring an impressive roster of world-renowned musicians to three cross-cultural Listen for Life Musicfest 2012 events in Southern California, September 21-29, 2012, to celebrate this year’s International Day of Peace and kick-off a world tour to promote peace around the globe.  Three years ago, the United Nations asked Listen for Life to create music festivals worldwide to raise awareness for Peace Day.  This year’s Musicfest concerts feature legendary blues and rock musicians (present/former band members of Eric Clapton, Guns N’ Roses, Dave Matthews Band, Carole King, Billy Preston, John Lee Hooker, Lionel Richie, Sergio Mendes, Toto, and Asia) who are coming together for the first time to form the Listen for Life All-Star Band to promote world peace through music.  Joining them at all three concerts are top music masters from nine world cultures, sharing their ethnic music traditions individually as well as collaboratively in combination with the all-star band.

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With the World Cup and Olympic Games coming to Brazil in the next few years, bringing unprecedented international attention to the country, the Cultural Sector of the Brazilian Consulate-General in Los Angeles is preparing for its global close-up by expanding its Brazilian Hour radio program into new multimedia platforms, including a new media-rich website as well as a brand new streaming music app.  With a 34-year history showcasing the country’s music and culture, the program is one of the longest running international radio shows in the U.S. – its mission to provide audiences worldwide with a rich and deep taste of Brazilian culture.  The expanded multimedia offerings will allow a new generation of listeners across the globe greater access to enjoy the show’s music along with guest interviews and exclusive features on the web, as well as through the mobile application.

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Who’s the best party rocker DJ on the planet? The Red Bull Thre3Style World Finals aims to answer that question when eighteen national champion DJs converge and compete in Vancouver from December 13 – 17, 2011 for the coveted title. To earn a spot in the Red Bull Thre3Style World Finals, hundreds of DJs from around the globe battled it out in regional and national qualifiers. At each stage the rules remain the same: 15 minutes to rock the crowd with a set that incorporates at least three genres of music and keeps partygoers on their feet, and the judges impressed.

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(photo credit: Nabil Elderkin)

Award-winning film Bouncing Cats, the inspiring story of one man’s attempt to create a better life for the children of Uganda through hip hop, makes its US television premiere on Documentary Channel Saturday, November 19, 2011 at 8:00 p.m. (EST/PST). The film, narrated by Common and featuring interviews with Will.I.Am, and K’Naan, follows the legendary Crazy Legs of the Rock Steady Crew and b-boy Abramz, the founder of Breakdance Project Uganda (BPU), on a journey to unify, empower and inspire youth in the war torn region that has been called one of the worst places on earth to be a child.  The film, produced by Red Bull Media House and directed by Australian filmmaker and photographer Nabil Elderkin, toured the film festival circuit in 2010 and 2011, earning awards along the way at Urbanworld Film Festival, Newport Beach Film Festival, and Southern Utah International Documentary Film Festival, among others.  Proceeds from the film benefit BPU.

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On Sunday, October 2, 2011, the historic Broadway Theater District in Downtown Los Angeles will erupt with Trespass, a parade where artists and residents will rally together to engage in art, music, dancing, floats, community activism, and performance. The parade is just one component of Trespass – a collaborative project between Arto Lindsay, Rirkrit Tiravanija, and West of Rome Public Art (WoR) that also includes a party and a T-shirt project with call-to-action slogans.  As part of Trespass, many Los Angeles art luminaries, including John Baldessari, Barbara Kruger, Nancy Rubins, and Jeffrey Vallance, were asked to produce statements – personal calls to action expressing political or social concerns – which will be worn on T-shirts at the October 2nd parade. Many of the participating artists will also join in with performative pieces. Trespass continues into Monday evening, October 3rd with Trespassparty, a blowout celebration at Union Station (800 North Alameda St., Los Angeles, CA 90012) featuring interactive and musical performances by progressive artists to benefit nonprofit West of Rome.

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LDTP “The Slumber of Reason” – Photo Credit: Dorit Thies

Innovative performance group the Latina Dance Theater Project (LDTP) announces the return of their critically acclaimed piece, The Slumber of Reason (El Sueño de la Razon), to Bootleg Theater in Los Angeles for one weekend only, Friday, February 25 and Saturday, February 26, 2011. Directed by Tim Perez, The Slumber of Reason is a series of ten dark and humorous vignettes that depict various follies and foibles of mankind.  The creative springboard for this interdisciplinary work is Spanish artist Francisco de Goya’s tour-de-force prints, Los Caprichos (The Caprices), considered one of the most profound indictments of human vice ever set on paper.  The Slumber of Reason show times are at 8:00pm on both nights.

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