Stephen DeBro’s new documentary “18th & Grand” weaves together boxing, wrestling, punk rock, roller derby and local history with an “only in L.A.” perspective that firmly situates the historic auditorium in the city’s culture.
As the filmmaker was researching the history of the Downtown Los Angeles building and its many lives, one aspect stood out: the formidable presence of Aileen Eaton, who became a powerful figure in the sporting world and in Los Angeles business over nearly four decades.
Eaton, a hard-headed businesswoman who rose from secretary to boxing commissioner and successful promoter, forms the centerpiece of the documentary that premieres Thursday at the Vineland Drive-In as the closing night of the Slamdance Film Festival. But there’s much more ground to cover over the building’s nearly 100-year history, including a revealing discussion with Roddy “Rowdy” Piper, who died shortly after his interview was conducted, as well...
As the filmmaker was researching the history of the Downtown Los Angeles building and its many lives, one aspect stood out: the formidable presence of Aileen Eaton, who became a powerful figure in the sporting world and in Los Angeles business over nearly four decades.
Eaton, a hard-headed businesswoman who rose from secretary to boxing commissioner and successful promoter, forms the centerpiece of the documentary that premieres Thursday at the Vineland Drive-In as the closing night of the Slamdance Film Festival. But there’s much more ground to cover over the building’s nearly 100-year history, including a revealing discussion with Roddy “Rowdy” Piper, who died shortly after his interview was conducted, as well...
- 2/23/2021
- by Pat Saperstein
- Variety Film + TV
“I wanted the film to provide kind of a vicarious experience,” says Chris Perkel, director and producer of the documentary “Coachella: 20 Years in the Desert,” confirming that there’s absolutely nothing coincidental about the film’s debut today coinciding with what would have been day one of Coachella 2020.
“We obviously debated what to do with the release of the film once the festival was rescheduled for October,” he says, but ultimately YouTube Originals decided to only move the release date back a week and a half, from March 31 to April 10, with the idea that the doc could serve as a salve on a weekend when passholders may be particularly nursing the postponement blues. “With all of us staying indoors, and under a lot of stress, we thought that might be more valuable than ever,” Perkel says.
It’s technically 19 years in the desert outside of Palm Springs, as longtime devotees may recall.
“We obviously debated what to do with the release of the film once the festival was rescheduled for October,” he says, but ultimately YouTube Originals decided to only move the release date back a week and a half, from March 31 to April 10, with the idea that the doc could serve as a salve on a weekend when passholders may be particularly nursing the postponement blues. “With all of us staying indoors, and under a lot of stress, we thought that might be more valuable than ever,” Perkel says.
It’s technically 19 years in the desert outside of Palm Springs, as longtime devotees may recall.
- 4/10/2020
- by James Patrick Herman
- Variety Film + TV
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