Wassup Rockers is set in South Central Los Angeles and follows a group of largely Hispanic teenagers who, instead of conforming to the hip-hop culture of their neighborhood, ride skateboards, listen to punk rock and wear their clothes tight. Constantly harassed, they take buses to Beverly Hills, Santa Monica and Hollywood, where they skate and catch the attention of the local rich girls, inevitably leading to trouble with parents, police and boyfriends.
Wassup Rockers is a 2005 film directed by Larry Clark and starring Jonathan Velasquez, Francisco Pedrasa, Milton Velasquez, Yunior Usualdo Panameno, Eduardo Velasquez, Luis Rojas-Salgado, Ashley Maldonado, Iris Zelaya and Jessica Steinbaum.
Director’s Note
Ten years ago, I made the film KIDS and used real New York City street kids in the principal roles (discovering Rosario Dawson and Chloe Sevigny). Similarly, WASSUP ROCKERS will feature South Central Los Angeles street kids in the leading roles.
WASSUP ROCKERS is a story I’ve written based on real life experiences of a group of Latino and Hispanic teenagers who, instead of conforming to the hip hop culture of their gang infested neighborhood, wear their clothes tight (young), listen to (and play) punk rock and ride their skateboards.
Constantly harassed for being different, they have to fight to be themselves. One morning they take the Metro and City Bus into Hollywood to skate the famous “Nine Stairs” at Beverly Hills High that they always see in the popular skateboard videos.
While there, they catch the attention of some rich white Beverly Hills girls – leading to trouble with the girls’ boyfriends as well as the police. The police chase them simply because they’re there (“you don’t belong here”) and they run into Beverly Hills where they meet up with the girls and a variety of Beverly Hills residents, getting into really big trouble as they are chased by the police and residents. The story culminates with a wild chase through Los Angeles as the Rockers try to escape to the (relative) safety of South Central.
Two of my favorite movies of all time are THE SWIMMER (directed by Frank Perry) and THE WARRIORS (directed by Walter Hill). Remember Burt Lancaster going into people’s backyards to swim across Beverly Hills, pool by pool? Or the Warriors trying to get home – gang neighborhood by gang neighborhood?
Our “Rockers” go into Beverly Hills backyard by backyard, trying to escape – but finding new adventures in each backyard and, like the Warriors, trying to get to the safety of home. I plan to use the organic Punk Rock (our Rockers have a garage band) and Hip Hop street music of South Central Los Angeles, using local musicians (there are some great undiscovered bands in the ghetto).
When we get to Beverly Hills, the music should reflect the tastes of the residents we meet in the film… the rich Beverly Hills white girls might listen to USHER or NELLY or The “Fashion World” people might have a DJ at a backyard lawn party spinning beats..I know I want to reflect the musical tastes of the characters in the film so that the soundtrack is eclectic and mirrors reality.
Wassup Rockers (2006)
Directed by: Larry Clark
Starring: Jonathan Velasquez, Francisco Pedrasa, Milton Velasquez, Yunior Usualdo Panameno, Eduardo Velasquez, Luis Rojas-Salgado, Ashley Maldonado, Iris Zelaya, Jessica Steinbaum
Screenplay by: Larry Clark
Production Design by: John DeMeo
Cinematography by: Steve Gainer
Film Editing by: Alex Blatt
Costume Design by: Maryam Malakpour
Set Decoration by: Peggy Paola
Music by: Harry Cody
MPAA Rating: R for pervasive language, some violence, sexual content and teen drinking.
Distributed by: First Look Pictures
Release Date: June 23, 2006
Views: 92
