Jesse Martinez, Dan Levy and Jonathan Penson will host the New York premiere of the Made In Venice movie at 8pm on May 25th at the Village East Cinema at located at 189 Second Ave, New York, NY (8pm). Get advance movie tix here.
ABOUT MADE IN VENICE THE MOVIE:
Made In Venice, is a documentary featuring the inside story of the skateboarders of Venice, California, and their struggle to make the dream of a skatepark come true. The feature-length documentary carries the viewer through the history of Venice to present day, as it tells the story of the decades it took a relentless crew of skateboarders, surfers and civic activists to convince the City of Los Angeles to build a skatepark in the area that gave birth to modern skateboarding.
Made In Venice is not just a skate movie. It’s a tale of audacity, guts and hope filled with counterculture characters that overcame all obstacles to claim victory for the masses. Anyone that has fought for what they want can identify with this film. This is the story of visionaries that refused to give up the goal to build concrete terrain for future generations.
The film captures the firsthand stories and recollections of 40-plus years of skateboarding in Venice that started with the Z-Boys, and continued with its legendary street skaters and the iconic Venice Skatepark. Never-before-seen Super-8 and early video footage, along with rare black and white stills, take you back to innovative demos on the Boardwalk and skating the walls of the Pavilion, as the Venice skaters pushed the boundaries of street skating and put it on the global map.
Made In Venice features appearances by skateboarding legends, professionals, heroes, skatepark activists and skate icons: Jesse Martinez, Geri Lewis, Christian Hosoi, C.R. Stecyk III, Skip Engblom, Jay Adams, Jeff Ho, Aaron Murray, Scott Oster, Cesario “Block” Montano, Jim Muir, Tim Jackson, Ray Flores, Eddie Reategui, Eric Britton, Dave Duncan, David Hackett, Joey Tran, Pat Ngoho, Wally Hollyday, Jimbo Quaintance, Joff Drinkwater, Nathan Pratt, Solo Scott, Jamie Quaintance, Asher Bradshaw, Kiko Francisco, Bart Saric, Heidi Lemmon, Anthony “Tonan” Ruiz, Lance Lemond, Susanne Melanie Berry, Jereme Schadler, Dennis Ogden, Steve Mayorga, Julien Martinez, Victor Blue, Steve “Primo” Primeau, Mary Prideaux, Lauren Seagrave, Katie Sullivan, Adam Hamilton, Karington Smith, Mike Sherrod, Pauline Bronon, Mario Narango and Zack Wormhoudt.
MADE IN VENICE SOCIAL MEDIA:
Facebook @Made In Venice – The Movie
Instagram @madeinvenicemovie
Twitter @madeinvenicedoc
Tumblr @madeinvenicemovie
Tag #madeinvenicemovie for all social media.
For more information and upcoming screening dates go to
Made In Venice Trailer:
What people are saying about Made In Venice!
“Dogtown and Zephyr may have sparked the skate scene in Venice Beach, but it was the unruly Venice locals, headed by Jesse Martinez, who doused it in gasoline to see how high the flames would go… Jonathan Penson’s new documentary Made in Venice focuses on the 20-year battle to get the Venice skatepark built, but it could just as easily have been about Martinez. For more than three decades, Martinez has been the lifeblood of the humble Venice community, and he was one of the driving forces behind getting the park built.” – Vice
“The saga of Venice Beach Skatepark, one of skateboarding’s most remarkable David-and-Goliath stories, gets the documentary treatment with the release of Made In Venice. The path to completing the Jesse Martinez-designed park was twenty years in the making, but many of the young skaters who travel from far and wide to skate there may be unaware of the harrowing journey involved: the acres of bureaucratic red tape; misinformed or just plain antagonistic opponents gumming up the works; the continually evolving environment and realities of fighting for a piece of real estate at the second-most visited tourist attraction in So Cal. The whole experience wasn’t exactly a day at the beach…” – The Skateboard Mag
“If the 2001 documentary “Dog Town and Z-Boys” engagingly gave Southern California’s skateboard culture its influential due, then Made In Venice comes across as its scrappy, but no less lovable, kid brother.” – The Los Angeles Times
“They fought for a skatepark to keep DogTown alive, is the mantra of Made in Venice, a film documenting the history of Venice Skatepark. With footage shot over 40-years ago, some seen for the first time, Made In Venice takes you through the history of the 70s, 80s, and 90s, to the current skatepark on the sand. Essentially, the film is a window into skateboarding’s history, paying tribute to those who fought to keep a skatepark in Venice to forever keep skateboarding rooted where it was born.” – The Berrics
“Made In Venice is an inspirational, no-holds-barred look at what a community of skateboarders, surfers and skatepark activists can accomplish when they let nothing stand in their way. Bursting with skate history, struggle and victory, the film traces the pioneering days of skateboarding and brings you to current day to find skateboarding legend, Jesse Martinez, acting as voluntary caretaker of one of the most highly trafficked skateparks in the world. Made In Venice is a cult classic in the formation, filled with never before seen clips, which will inspire others trying to get skateparks built in their town. – Juice Magazine
“Made in Venice – the movie – a must see! This film is an essential piece of history, acknowledging and paying tribute to the ground soldiers whose tireless efforts brought to fruition a skatepark on the sand that millions now enjoy.” – Venice Paparazzi
“Venice Beach has some of the deepest skate history, but not always had a skate park. There are 40-plus years of skateboarding history in Venice, going all the way back to the Z-Boys. What many don’t know and often most [especially tourists] take for granted is that the park wasn’t built without a 20-year battle culminating in 2009 after a 10-month build. The dream was to give Dogtown the iconic park we all see today.” – Skate Slate Magazine
“Made in Venice celebrates the hard work and countless hours that it takes to not just build a skatepark but to build a skate community.” – SkateDaily.net
“Made in Venice will help others prepare for all the bs surrounding government projects. Thanks for making this.” – NYSkateboarding.com
“Made in Venice – The Movie is a story about skatepark advocacy in one of the most colorful places on the planet. Check it out!” – Tony Hawk Foundation
“Be sure to check out Christian Hosoi discussing the 20-year battle to get the Venice Park built in the Made In Venice movie. Hosoi recalls his humble beginnings skating Venice & Marina Del Rey, and learn more about the battle for the Venice Beach Skatepark & how OG, Jesse Martinez, continues to fight for the park. The archival photos & footage provided by our friends at Juice Magazine are so epic; you don’t want to miss this one.” – Vans
“Made in Venice is a must-see documentary. Skateparks are a vital part of the evolution of skateboarding culture, which has become a worldwide phenomenon.” – Jeff Ho
“Made In Venice tells you the history of Venice skating. I dug the movie. It had a lot of really cool history that I didn’t know before. I knew Jesse, but I didn’t know all the history that went down in the ‘80s in Venice. I used to watch those guys skate at the Pavilion. There was a lot more going on that was in the movie that I didn’t know that was cool. I was stoked to see all that.” – Wes Humpston
“You should go see Made In Venice if you’re trying to get a skatepark built in your town because it shows what a community can do when they really get together and work towards something they want that would also benefit the community as a whole, especially the kids. Isn’t that what it’s about?” – Eric “Tuma” Britton
“Going to see Made in Venice brings my generation of skaters full circle from the days when the Dogtown scene influenced us in the ’70’s! – Jim Murphy
“Made in Venice is an inspirational story for any skateboarder to never give up. People don’t understand what it takes to get a skatepark built and Made In Venice tells that story. – Dave Duncan
“Being a ramp builder, I know the struggles of cutting through red tape to get a skatepark built. The Made in Venice movie was an amazing journey and I loved It.” – Eddie Reategui
For more information and upcoming screening dates go to