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street art

Blog Featured (Soledad)Films GRAFSTRACT Sound and Vision

GRAFSTRACT: The Bronx Street Art Renaissance | A Short Documentary Film

by Dan Perez August 7, 2017

Filmed in the Bronx back in the summer of 2014, my short documentary film “GRAFSTRACT: The Bronx Street Art Renaissance” has just completed a rather surprising three year film festival run that included screenings in 13 different countries as well as Los Angeles (where it won the “Best Street Art Film” award at the 2015 New Urbanism Film Festival), New York City (2016 Bronx International Film Festival) and several states in between.

The film is now available for public viewing (scroll down to watch the film subtitled in Spanish or Italian) and you can read up on on all the who, what, when, where and why on the film’s official page. So enjoy the film and feel free to let us know what you thought of it in the comments section below (and feel free to share!). Thanks, in advance!

Here’s the film:

GRAFSTRACT: The Bronx Street Art Renaissance from DanPerezFilms on Vimeo.

La película subtitulada en español:

GRAFSTRACT: The Bronx Street Art Renaissance [SPANISH SUBTITLES] from DanPerezFilms on Vimeo.

Il film sottotitolato in italiano:

GRAFSTRACT: The Bronx Street Art Renaissance [Italian Subtitles] from DanPerezFilms on Vimeo.

From Left: James ‘Sexer’ Rodriguez, myself, SinXero, and John ‘Crash’ Matos [Day 1]

From Left: Chris Stain, Billy Mode, James ‘Sexer’ Rodriguez and SinXero [Day 2]

From Left: Luis ‘Zimad’ Lamboy, James ‘Sexer’ Rodriguez, SinXero, and John ‘Crash’ Matos [Day 3]

Me and my “Production Assistant”, my daughter Miranda. That’s a wrap!

August 7, 2017

Blog Photography Places & Spaces

The Inaugural Urban Art Fair in New York City (In Pictures)

by Dan Perez July 5, 2017

written by Dan Perez

So, this past weekend, I took the family to New York to celebrate my wife’s 50th birthday (er, I mean, 35th birthday!) with family and friends (we live in South Florida, you see, but grew up in New York). We had a lovely dinner party on Saturday night but I hadn’t really made any plans for the following day. Fortunately, my street art loving little brother suggested we check out the first edition of the Urban Art Fair at Spring Studios in New York.

The fair, which kicked off on June 29 and ran through July 3, had its first and second editions in Paris in 2016 and April 2017 and is dedicated entirely to celebrating urban art and graffiti. With more than 20 international galleries hailing from Paris, Berlin, Hong Kong, Miami, and my old stomping grounds of the Bronx, I figured this was an ideal way to spend a free weekend afternoon in NYC.

So we headed downtown to Spring Studios in the heart of Tribeca with Mrs. Perez, my teenage daughter, but without my Lumix GH4 and my usual assortment of lenses. I wanted to travel light so I trusted the camera on my HTC 10 to get the job done (did you know it can shoot in RAW?). It did.

Here are a few images from the first edition of the Urban Art Fair in New York City – enjoy…

“Preservons La Creation” by French artist Sebastien “Mr. D” Boileau. Made of upcycled spraycans, the image of the white-bearded man only shows up when you photograph it with a cellphone camera. The painting will set you back a cool $120k…

NYC street artist DAIN

“Merde in USA” by French artist Sebastien “Mr. D” Boileau

Italian artist Tomaso Albertini uses angular segments of cardboard to create his work…

Mauritian (an Indian Ocean island nation) artist Gael Froget

“Tomato Soup” by French street artist Pimax

Me and the family admiring the work of the Bronx’s own John “Crash” Matos

Series of photographs by Henry Chalfant, an American photographer most notable for his work on graffiti and hip hop culture…

Urban art lovers enjoying the collection of art and photography…

“Lost Values” by Los Angeles based artist Kaï Aspire

No urban art fair would be complete without the work of England-based artist Banksy

“Moving Forward” by NYC based artist Logan Hicks

Mrs. Perez admiring the work of French-born, Los Angeles-based street artist Thierry Guetta, aka Mr. Brainwash

British artist Prefab77

“Head-in-the-wall (child)” by American artist Mark Jenkins

“Freedom” by Romano of the French street art collective Le Mouvement

Mural by Paris-based street artist Hopare

Assorted works by iconic American artist and social activist Keith Haring {RIP}

“Sobre la resistencia” by Spanish artist Mesa

French artist Nowart

Alicia Keys by French street artist Noé Two

Irish artist Fin DAC

John Lennon by French artist French artist Nowart

A pair of paintings by French street artist Seaty

Urban fashion also on display…

View from above…

Live painting by French street artist Noé Two on the roof of Spring Studios

Views from the rooftop…

For an art lover like myself (and my family), the Urban Art Fair in New York was a lovely way to spend a few hours on what was a lovely summer day and an overall lovely weekend. Watch for it next year…

Love street art as much as I do? Check out my NYC street art documentary films “The Candle” (the inspirational story of how NYC street artist Marthalicia Matarrita and her brothers overcame poverty and harsh living conditions through their passion for art) and “GRAFSTRACT: The Bronx Street Art Renaissance” featuring urban artists SinXero, James “Sexer” Rodriguez and legendary Bronx graffiti artist john “Crash” Matos.

July 5, 2017

Blog Films GRAFSTRACT Sound and Vision

Official Selection: Festival Internazionale del Cinema Documentario | Taranto, Italy

by Dan Perez April 26, 2017

written by Dan Perez

Very happy to announce that my award-winning short documentary film GRAFSTRACT: The Bronx Street Art Renaissance has been named an official selection and finalist of the 3rd edition of the Festival Internazionale del Cinema Documentario – Premio Marcellino de Baggis in Taranto, Italy. The selection will mark the third screening of the film in Italy (grazie!).

The festival, which is named after award-winning Italian cinematographer and director Marcellino de Baggis (who passed away in 2011), aims to create awareness for the documentary film culture as well as promote the history and beauty of Taranto, a coastal city in Southern Italy. Our film will screen on May 4th, full schedule HERE.

The film won the Best Street Art Film award at the 2015 New Urbanism Film Festival in Los Angeles. The film made its NYC premiere at the 2016 Bronx International Film Festival and has also screened at film festivals in Spain, Sweden, Albania, Turkey, Mexico, Chile, Scotland, Romania, Colombia, India, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Hungary and Italy. Very excited that the film is continuing to reach new international audiences.

[vimeo]https://vimeo.com/116378964[/vimeo]

April 26, 2017

Blog Photography Sound and Vision

The Amazing Street Art of the Wynwood Art District, Miami (In Pictures)

by Dan Perez March 23, 2017

written by Dan Perez

Just as the seasons change (or not really down here in South Florida), there’s one thing you can bank on in Miami – there’s gonna be new murals every few months in the popular Wynwood Art District. I took the family down on two different occasions and spent several hours in this wonderful section of South Florida. Oh, and as I always do, I brought my Lumix GH4 with me (you can check out my first set of photographs from 2013 HERE and my set from 2014 HERE). Enjoy the photographs (and yes, we ate at Joeys Italian Cafe yet again).

This stunning mural by Miami-based Dominican artist Ruben Ubiera requires a closer look to appreciate the little details…

Miami-based artist Jose Mertz

Mexican street artist Paola Delfin

Brazilian street artist Sipros

Striking a pose with my daughter in front of this collaborative piece by Canadian street artist Kevin Ledo and Irish street artist Fin DAC

Ecuadorian artist Apitatán

My daughter appreciating the work of Miami-based artist DELVS

Argentinian artist Franco Fasoli aka Jaz

Me and Mrs. Perez trying to strike a pose in front of a large mural by British artist D*Face

Greek street artist INO

Chilean street artist duo of Sammy Espinoza (Jekse) and Cynthia Aguilera (Cines) aka UnKolorDistinto

Miami’s own Golden

Italian street artist ZED1

British street artist and animal activist Louis Masai who urges us “The biggest threat to manatee are speedboats…slow down!”

Collaboration piece between Miami based street artists Michael Vasquez and Jose Felix Perez

Chilean, NYC-based street artist Dasic Fernández at Wynwood Walls

Mrs. Perez enjoying the work of Miami’s own Tatiana Suarez

Korean street artist David Choe

For a cool $100K, you can own this custom motorcycle designed by legendary Bronx graffiti artist John ‘Crash’ Matos

John ‘Crash’ Matos at Wynwood Walls

The “golden hour” for photographers as the sun sets in Miami. Behind them, a collaborative piece between Andrew Antonaccio (Puerto Rico) and Filio Galvez (Cuba) aka 2Alas and Argentinian-Spanish artist Felipe Pantone

March 23, 2017

Blog Films Sound and Vision

“The Candle”: A Short Documentary Film about the Power of Art (and Family)

by Dan Perez February 22, 2017

written by Dan Perez

“The Candle” is a short but sweet documentary film I shot in the Bronx in the summer of 2013. The film introduces you to Marthalicia Matarrita, a Dominican/Costa Rican artist raised in New York City with her two brothers, Tomas (older) and Jorge (younger). Encouraged by her mother, Marthalicia and her brothers realized a passion for art at a very young age; and during a very difficult time in their lives.

I came across Marthalicia during an internet search for Bronx street artists that summer. My younger brother Ruben and I were in the process of creating a video series on street artists and I was looking to feature someone from my old stomping grounds (I was born and raised in the Bronx). I found her art style, a fusion of nature and the harsh realities of inner city life, fresh and appealing so I reached out to her by phone and that’s when she told me that her two brothers were also artists. The proverbial plot had just thickened.

I met Marthalicia face-to-face for the first time a few days after our initial conversation as she was working on a mural project at the Tinton Avenue projects in the Bronx. I was able to arrange an interview with her and her brothers Tomas and Jorge for later that evening. When my brother and I arrived for the shoot, we entered a sweltering tenement basement used by Marthalicia and her brothers as an art studio. What followed was a series of interviews where the many hardships this family had to endure came to light. Financial hardships had stripped the family of resources most of us take for granted; the family of five found themselves in a small one-bedroom apartment and even a homeless shelter. Their passion for art, however, provided an escape – even when the electricity went out.

During the shoot, I also came to learn that it had been several years since Marthalicia and her brothers had actually come together to paint. Watching them work the canvas together with their own distinct styles over several hours of what turned out to be a long steamy night, I couldn’t help but feel I was part of a special moment for this family; I think they felt it as well. And as I edited this short film in my own studio back home in South Florida, I felt all the more fortunate to have spent the evening with a family that had overcome so much…

And I learned that art has a power to give joy in even the harshest of environments. It was a good lesson.

The film has been screened in a handful of small film festivals over the years since it made its premiere at the 2014 Indie Boots Film Festival in Chicago. It has also screened at film festivals in Los Angeles, Trenton (NJ), San Antonio, the Dominican Republic, Buenos Aires, and Barcelona.

It’s a modest little film shot over the course of just one afternoon and evening but the message it carries is poignant. It’s also a film that I’m very, very proud of. I hope you enjoy it (your feedback is welcome!).

The Candle: A Short Documentary Film about the Power of Art (and Family) from DanPerezFilms on Vimeo.

Here’s a version of the film subtitled in Spanish…

The Candle [La vela] from DanPerezFilms on Vimeo.

Marthalicia, yours truly, Jorge & Tomas wrapping up our video shoot sometime after 1:00am…

February 22, 2017

Blog Films GRAFSTRACT Sound and Vision

Official Selection: International Film Festival of Fine Arts | Szolnok, Hungary

by Dan Perez October 11, 2016

written by Dan Perez

After closing out the Festival Internazionale del Cinema d’Arte in Milan, Italy this past weekend, I am now very happy to announce that my short documentary film GRAFSTRACT: The Bronx Street Art Renaissance has now been named an official selection of the 9th edition of the International Film Festival of Fine Arts in Hungary. The festival kicks off this week on the 12th and runs through Sunday the 16th. My film will screen on Saturday, October 15th at 3:30pm [full schedule of s HERE].

The International Film Festival of Fine Arts takes place in Szolnok, a city in central Hungary about 60 miles from Budapest. Its location on the banks of the Tisza river, at the heart of the Great Hungarian Plain, has made it an important cultural and economic crossroads for centuries (its earliest recorded history dates back to 1075!). The festival selects films that present or reinterpret pieces of art by means of cinematic methods or deal with the life or certain stages of one or more artists or art groups. They welcome works that discover certain tendencies or periods of fine arts or their social context.

The festival attracts film and art scholars as well as enthusiasts, renowned artists, journalists and musicians, and features numerous panel discussions and art exhibits. So, if you happen to find yourself in or around the historic city of Szolnok this week, stop by and check out the fine films as well as the fine art.

[vimeo]https://vimeo.com/116378964[/vimeo]

October 11, 2016

Blog Films GRAFSTRACT Sound and Vision

Official Selection: Festival Internazionale del Cinema d’Arte | Milan, Italy

by Dan Perez October 4, 2016

written by Dan Perez

Very happy to announce that my award-winning short documentary film GRAFSTRACT: The Bronx Street Art Renaissance has been named an official selection (and will make it’s Italian premiere) of the Festival Internazionale del Cinema d’Arte in Milan, Italy. The festival, now in its 15th year, opens this week in Milan, Italy and runs from this Wednesday the 5th until the 8th. Our film will close out the festival on the evening of October 8th.

The Festival collects movies that celebrate the universal language of cinema and art; the different expressions of art that describe a period, interpret an artist’s world, or draw an artistic-aesthetic portrait. Art and cinema as social occasions for growth, evasion, historical and sociological study. The festival features four days of screenings, special events, and meetings with guests from the entertainment world and culture.

It’s a shame I wasn’t able to attend the festival personally but I am extremely honored to have my film screened at such a prestigious festival such as this one. If you happen to find yourself in Milan, stop by and check out the great films. Here’s the trailer for the festival…

GRAFSTRACT: The Bronx Street Art Renaissance, a film I directed, shot and edited, was filmed in the Bronx, New York City, back in the summer of 2014 and tells the story of J. “SinXero” Beltran, Founder & Creative Director of TAG Public Arts Project. With the help of some of the world’s top street artists, SinXero’s mission of “Enhancing The Visual Landscape of Urban Communities with Art” is becoming a reality in the birthplace of graffiti, The Bronx. The film won the Best Street Art Film award at the 2015 New Urbanism Film Festival in Los Angeles. The film made its NYC premiere at the 2016 Bronx International Film Festival and has also screened at film festivals in Spain, Sweden, Albania, Turkey, Mexico, Chile, Scotland, Romania, Colombia, India, Bosnia and Herzegovina, and now Italy.

[vimeo]https://vimeo.com/116378964[/vimeo]

October 4, 2016

Blog Featured Films GRAFSTRACT

Colombian Urban Art Film Festival in Bogotá THIS WEEKEND!

by Dan Perez August 31, 2016

written by Dan Perez

Happy to announce that my award-winning short documentary film GRAFSTRACT: The Bronx Street Art Renaissance will screen THIS FRIDAY, September 2nd at the first edition of the Colombian Urban Art Film Festival in Bogotá. The film will screen in the 5pm-7pm block of films on Friday at the famed Cinemateca Distrital, one of Bogotá’s oldest independent film theaters.

The Colombian Urban Arts Film Festival will focus on screening audiovisual works that focus on urban art and artists from national and international filmmakers through various exhibitions throughout the city. A city with a rich (and infamous) history of graffiti and politically-charged street art.

Bogotá already had a thriving graffiti scene when in 2011, Diego Felipe Becerra, a 16-year-old street artist who called himself Tripido, was shot dead by police while painting pictures of Felix the Cat on the walls of an underpass. The police invented a story that the boy had robbed a bus and when this was proven untrue, the city came out in protest.

With all the negative media coverage, Gustavo Petro, then mayor of Bogotá, issued a decree to decriminalize graffiti and street art painting to help promote what was seen as a new form of artistic and cultural expression, but with the agreement that public buildings and monuments should remain free from graffiti.

Bogotá’s liberal attitudes have attracted some of the world’s top street artists but street art being what it is (Rules? Seriously?), it is still an uneasy peace that exists between graffiti/street artists and the authorities. Bogotá, however, remains one of the best places in the Americas for street art. So if you happen to love street art and find yourself in Bogotá this weekend, stop by and check out the films…

GRAFSTRACT: The Bronx Street Art Renaissance [SPANISH TRAILER] from DanPerezFilms on Vimeo.

August 31, 2016

Blog Films GRAFSTRACT Sound and Vision

Official Selection: Middle Coast Film Festival | Bloomington, July 28-30

by Dan Perez July 19, 2016

written by Dan Perez

Very happy to announce that my award-winning short documentary film GRAFSTRACT: The Bronx Street Art Renaissance has been named an official selection of the Middle Coast Film Festival in Bloomington, Indiana. The film will screen on Friday, July 29th in the 11:30am-12:30pm block of films at the Ivy Tech John Waldron Arts Center.

Middle Coast Film Festival is Bloomington’s first interactive film festival, bringing the best international and national short and feature films, web series episodes, and music videos at four separate venues in Bloomington, Indiana. Their mission is to not only provide their audience in Indiana with some of the best films out there, but to showcase the vibrant arts community in the Midwest. Over the course of the weekend festival goers will enjoy panel discussions, Q&A sessions, and multiple networking events at local studios, restaurants, and bars with filmmakers from all over the world.

Very excited at the opportunity of having my film screened at a fast-growing festival that truly focuses on indie filmmakers and the arts. If you happen to find yourself in or around Bloomington, stop by and check out some of the great films being shown. You can find information on all film HERE.

[vimeo]https://vimeo.com/116378964[/vimeo]

July 19, 2016

Blog GRAFSTRACT Sound and Vision

Film Screenings! RedEye: Reality Reimagined, Fort Lauderdale

by Dan Perez July 10, 2016

written by Dan Perez

I’m very happy to announce that my award-winning short film GRAFSTRACT: The Bronx Street Art Renaissance will screen at the RedEye: Reality Reimagined arts festival in Fort Lauderdale THIS SATURDAY July 16 at 6:30pm. Also screening will be a short video I shot and directed called Wall 2 Wall Women: Miami’s Female Street Artists which was filmed in the Bird Road Art District in Miami and features local artists Diana Contreras, Jenny Perez, Aquarela Sabol, Michelle Vazquez of Yuhmi Collective, Amanda Valdes and others.

RedEye is presented by ArtServe, an award-winning non-profit organization that provides programs, events, business opportunities, and facilities that help local and emerging artists turn their art into business. Through private and public funding, ArtServe, which recently celebrated its 25th anniversary, has developed a series of programs aimed at strengthening and assisting local artists and nonprofit cultural groups in their business-related and marketing efforts.

RedEye is a night packed with live music, live performance art, film, food, fun and more. The event features a live mural painting (by local artist David Lavernia), an UnPlugged stage, film screenings, a dramatic short play and a spoken word salon. Again, it kicks off Sunday, July 16 from 6-10pm so come by and say hello – hope to see you there…

The film won the Best Street Art Film award at the 2015 New Urbanism Film Festival in Los Angeles and has screened at film festivals in Mexico, Sweden, Spain, Scotland, Turkey, Romania and India and made its NYC premiere at the 2016 Bronx International Film Festival.

[vimeo]https://vimeo.com/116378964[/vimeo]

Wall 2 Wall Women is another short film I shot and edited in the summer of 2014 here in Miami. The film documents the Wall 2 Wall Women project that featured South Florida’s top female street artists taking on a 300 foot wall (along with sweltering heat, humidity and daily thunderstorms!) in the Bird Road Art District. The short film runs just over 10 minutes long.

Also screening at the festival is Project Mone’t – an award-winning documentary short about a young artist who exorcises her demons through the creation of a beautiful monster made of steel. Looks like a terrific film – come check it out…

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xMFUrfjJKlg[/youtube]

And the other film to be screened is another award-winning film, El Mar Y Él, a tragic-comedy about a man’s quest to flee Cuba during the 1980 Mariel Boatlift. The film screened at the Cannes Film Festival’s Short Film Corner in 2015…

[vimeo]https://vimeo.com/115369110[/vimeo]

Join me at the RedEye: Reality Reimagined for for film, food and art!

July 10, 2016

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