Turf Nation
Turfing is an Oakland-born dance form that combines roots in gang culture with elements of tutting, gliding and bone breaking; Turf Nation follows the street dancers perform on BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) trains, as they pave their own paths towards freedom and independence.
Interview with Director/Producer Jun Bae
Congratulations! Why did you make your film?
I made this film while I was a graduate student at Stanford's Documentary Film MFA program. I lived in Oakland for the summer and met the dancers at a local dance battle in West Oakland. The following week they asked me to film their BART Shows on the train and that was enough confirmation for me to start making my thesis film. I am a Bboy and although I come from a different style of dance, getting to know turfing was so fresh to me as I have not seen this style before moving to the Bay Area. The goal of this film is to highlight street dancer's lifestyle and the cultural impact it has on the youths.
I would love the film to elevate the dignity of those that created the culture that everyone is affected by. Even if you don't dance on a daily basis, you are still influenced by these cultural waves through music, mass media and news. These waves are fresh, unapologetic and ultimately shape the future generation.
Imagine I’m a member of the audience. Why should I watch this film?
You might have seen the street dancers perform on trains and different platforms in the city but how often do you get to know their back story? I wanted people to understand the essence of street performing and how it is not only a vital source of income to the street dancers but also a platform to showcase their talent that can lead to bigger opportunities, such as getting booked for TV Shows and Music Videos
Turf Nation
How do personal and universal themes work in your film?
Most people can relate to Lavish's ambition to strive for a better version of themselves everyday. He says, "I still ain't made it to my goal." I think most people can relate to this because we are naturally born with some kind of ambition and goals.
How have the script and film evolved over the course of their development?
Bay Area is a cultural capital. With its rich history rooted in authenticity, the dance form turfing emerged in Oakland, California in the early 2000. The unique landscape of Oakland with its glories and issues gave birth to a new form of dance that is practiced worldwide. It combines various elements of dance styles such as Flexing (also known as bone-breaking, a Brooklyn-born style), Tutting, and Gliding that draws inspiration from ballet. It has reached cultures overseas including UK and Mexico and Japan. But the dance is still in its infancy with pioneers of the form still actively developing the language as we speak.
Initially the film was going to focus on the dance style itself but I became more interested in the dancer's lifestyle. Eventually I wanted the film to provide an intimate portrait of street dancers in the Bay Area.
What type of feedback have you received so far?
I received a lot of great feedback and the most common questions I get are - "Are they all double-jointed?" Actually most of them have regular joints but train to bone-break in that way.
Has the feedback surprised or challenged your point of view?
Feedback is always interesting and helps me shape the next film in line. I don't make films based on people's feedback but I do definitely take them into consideration to expand my point of view. The challenging feedback was "The film needs more of a structured storyline" and I can only agree.
What are you looking to achieve by having your film more visible on www.wearemovingstories.com?
I hope that more people can find and watch Turf Nation and get to know the street dancer's lifestyle told through the street dancer's perspective.
Who do you need to come on board (producers, sales agents, buyers, distributors, film festival directors, journalists) to amplify this film’s message?
Sales agents and distributors who can recognize the audience of the film so that it can be streamed on platforms like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, STARZ...etc.
What type of impact and/or reception would you like this film to have?
It is my hope and intention that the film inspire audience to believe in their own ambitions and pursue their own dreams.
What’s a key question that will help spark a debate or begin a conversation about this film?
Can street dancers become successful?
Would you like to add anything else?
Thank you for taking the time to review my work and I look forward to working with collaborators on your platform to amplify the film's exposure to a greater international audience.
Dance continues to evolve and it is ultimately an expression of freedom for those it is not granted. It is a form that is sought out and is inherent to the human condition. It is a reaction to the environment and action at the same time.
What other projects are the key creatives developing or working on now?
I am currently cutting a documentary film about a street dancer depicted in the film, Frenchiebabyy who was recently on the new season of America's Got Talent. The film focuses on the street dancer's lifestyle in Los Angeles and his ambition to fame as an artist from a street dancer.
Interview: July 2021
We Are Moving Stories embraces new voices in drama, documentary, animation, TV, web series, music video, women's films, LGBTQIA+, POC, First Nations, scifi, supernatural, horror, world cinema. If you have just made a film - we'd love to hear from you. Or if you know a filmmaker - can you recommend us? More info: Carmela
Turf Nation
Length:
13:27
Writer/Director
Jun Bae is a Tokyo-born Korean Director. His award-winning films have screened in film festivals around the world. He holds an MFA in Documentary Film and Video from Stanford University. He is currently based in Los Angeles directing films, music videos and commercials. He is the founder of the creative studio Prizm Vision.
Key cast:
Philip Mays (Yung Phil), Donald Brooks (Lavish), Denzel Harris (Zel), Raphael Jackson (Yung Raph)
Looking for:
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/junbaeofficial
Instagram:
http://instagram.com/turfnationfilm
Hashtags used:
turfnationfilm, turfnation
More info: