Hybrid Cinema Announces the DVD Release Of
Jon Reiss’ Global Graffiti Documentary
Bomb It 2
On Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Follow-Up to Explosive Bomb It Explores Graffiti in
World’s Most Unlikely Places

LOS ANGELES, CA – September 11, 2013 – Hybrid Cinema is pleased to announce the DVD release of global graffiti documentary Bomb It 2, by award-winning filmmaker-author Jon Reiss on Tuesday, November 5, 2013 via MVD Entertainment Group.  Going where no graffiti doc has gone before, in this follow-up to his explosive street art documentary Bomb It, Reiss travels to Asia, Australia, the Middle East, and beyond, exploring local graffiti scenes and speaking to local artists.  Graffiti and street artists featured include Ash Keating, Bon, Great Bates, Husk Mit Navn, Klone, Know Hope, Phibs, Stormie Mills, Vexta, Victor Ash, Xeme, and many others.  In keeping with the international approach to the film, Bomb It 2 had premieres on five continents – North America, Europe, Asia, Australia, and Africa.  August 6th saw Bomb It 2’s VOD (Video On Demand) release on iTunes, Amazon, Vudu, Xbox, Google/YouTube and the Bomb It 2 website.  VOD via Hulu and Netflix are also scheduled for this fall.  For more information, please visit http://www.bombit2movie.com.

“I am continually inspired to explore the world’s vibrant graffiti and street art communities, which flourish in some of the most unlikely places – such as Singapore,” says Bomb It 2 Director Jon Reiss, “Wherever I go – from Perth to Copenhagen, to the West Bank and Tel Aviv – the need to express oneself in public is a constant, despite the potential risks.”

In Bomb It 2, the follow-up to the explosive 2007 global graffiti documentary Bomb It, Reiss takes audiences to previously unexplored areas of the Middle East, Europe, Asia, the United States, and Australia on a hunt for innovative street art and artists.  Using an ultra compact camera and sound package, Reiss traveled by himself to artists representing a wide range of cultures, styles, and beliefs, with Reiss functioning as producer, director, cameraman, and sound person all at once on the film.  In the process of making the film, he climbed into sewers, visited red ant infested buildings, and fractured his ankle in an Estonian hall of fame.

In the Middle East, Reiss talks with Muhnned Alazzh in the West Bank where Alazzh emphasizes the cultural and political significance of writing on the wall in Palestinian refugee camps.  In Jakarta, Indonesia, Darbotz paints his signature squid monsters in black and white, to distinguish them from the explosion of color on the Jakarta streets.  In Singapore, Reiss connects with street artists Zero and Killer Gerbil, who explain the paradox of doing graffiti in one of the most highly policed states in the world. Many countries visited for Bomb It 2 didn’t have much of a street art scene at all when the original Bomb It was shot back in 2004-2005.

“I am particularly fascinated in how each culture (and each person) takes this art form and makes it their own – how the local culture affects the development of graffiti in each place that I have visited,” says Reiss, “Tel Aviv and the refugee camps of Bethlehem couldn’t be more different.  The former is on the verge of a street art explosion similar to Barcelona in the early ‘90s.  In the West Bank, graffiti is much more about a political statement and ‘art’ is often viewed as reconciliation.”

Upcoming Bomb It 2 Screening Events –
• September 19, 2013, Houston, TX – UP Art Studios presents Bomb It 2 where a DJ will remix the film live at the ‘DON’T TALK About It, GRAFF About it’ Art Show Opening Reception for ‘Meeting of Styles Houston’ Kick-Off Party.
• September 21, 2013, Houston, TX – UP Art Studios presents Bomb It 2 where a DJ will remix the film live at Kingspoint.
  • September 28, 2013, Singapore – Micro City Singapore presents Bomb It 2 including a Q&A with Bomb It 2 featured artists, Zero & The Killer Gerbil.
  • October 5 & 6, 2013, Guadalajara Jalisco, Mexico – Bomb It 2 will be featured at the annual Meeting of Styles event.
  • October 17, 2013, Kangaroo Point, Australia – Bomb It 2 will be included as part of a monthly program at the BEMAC Cultural Art Center, an organization that brings culturally diverse stories from around the world to the local community to create discussion and understanding.

For screening updates please visit http://bombit2movie.com/screenings.  To host a screening, please see http://bombit2movie.com/host-a-screening.

“I am a firm believer in ‘event-izing’ what was previously called ‘theatrical,’” says Reiss, also a media strategist who consults on film distribution and marketing.  “The studios repeatedly try to do this with gimmicks such as 3D and Imax, but until they realize that the theatrical release, in its current form, competes with digital in the realm of abundance with unlimited screening options, they are doomed to decreasing box office receipts wherever broadband is widely implemented.  Filmmakers, especially independents, must create events around their films to motivate people to gather as a community.”

Bomb It 2 Credits –
• A Hybrid Cinema Production
• A Jon Reiss Film
• Produced and Directed by Jon Reiss
• Executive Producers: Laurence Billiet, Una Jackman
• Co-Producers: Emy Takada, Rory Owen Delaney
• Associate Producers: Alexandra Tapley, Traci Glodery, J. Christopher Rodgers
• Edited By Kristofer Velasquez, Kevin Thangchaipinyokul and Benjamin Paris, Monet Malek, Adilla Amelia, Denise Chan, Marc Wiltshire, Jieqing Hu
• Main Title Animation: Joaquin Baldwin
• Music by Shane Ries, Meredith Chin, Mike Genato, Marcus Woods, Apple Juice Kid, Spud Too Tight
• Run Time: 71m45s
• Country of Origin: USA
• Original Languages: English, Thai, Cantonese, Malay (with English Subtitles)
• Featuring: Ash Keating, Alex Face, Ayed, Beejoir, Bon, Darbotz, Foma, Great Bates, Husk Mit Navn, Inspire, Killer Gerbil, Klone, Know Hope, Muhnned Alazzh, Mars, MIC, Phibs, Sloke, Stormie Mills, Thor, TwoOne, Vexta, Victor Ash, Xeme, Zero

Bomb It (2007) –
Released in 2007, the original Bomb It documentary investigates the most subversive and controversial art form currently shaping international youth culture: graffiti.  Roughly 200 artists from 5 continents were interviewed by Reiss for the film including old school legends and current favorites such as Taki 183, Cornbread, Stay High 149, T-Kid, Cope 2, Zephyr, Revs, Os Gemeos, KET, Chino, Shepard Fairey, Revok, Mear One, and Blek Le Rat.  At the core of the film is a statement about the war being waged for public space.  Starting with graffiti’s roots in New York and Philadelphia, Bomb It goes on to explore the graff cultures in London, Paris, Amsterdam, Hamburg, Barcelona, Berlin, Cape Town, São Paulo, and Tokyo, before finally wrapping up in Los Angeles.  The film features original footage with artists around the world who have taken the form and applied it to their particular cultural and social conditions, from Latin America, where graffiti has been adapted into the mural tradition, to Japan where anime inspired rakugaki juxtaposes with formal calligraphy and conformist societal norms, to Europe where a dadaist/surrealist tradition produces deliberately confrontational prankstering.  To learn more, please visit www.bombit-themovie.com.

“The original Bomb It had a strong thematic orientation and an intellectual narrative – in the first film, we looked at the big global graffiti scenes and established the historical foundation of the art form,” says Reiss, “Since that foundation had already been established in the first film, we were able to approach Bomb It 2 in a much freer way, using an episodic structure.”

Graffiti –
While some believe the roots of graffiti can be traced back to pre-linguistic cave markings and the innate human need for self-expression, graffiti remains a highly controversial issue.  Using a myriad of original interviews, as well as guerilla footage of graffiti writers in action, Bomb It and Bomb It 2 both tell the story of contemporary graffiti, from its roots in ancient rock paintings through Picasso, to the rise of hip hop culture in 1970s New York City, culminating in its current, pervasive presence in a variety of forms – on the streets and in pop culture throughout the world.

The controversy surrounding graffiti is an integral part of the story: from anti-tagging groups, to the impact of New York City’s infamous “Quality of Life” laws, which directly targeted illicit writing, to the proliferation of these laws throughout the world.  Graffiti – as well as stenciling, stickering, postering, and any unsanctioned graphic “interference” in public space – raises important questions that delve deep into our contemporary social structure such as:  Who has the right to express themselves?  What is a canvas?  Where should art take place?  If public space is a forum for discussion, which voices will be heard?

Jon Reiss –
“Filmmaker Jon Reiss finds himself drawn to subcultures with guts,” the Village Voice wrote during an interview for Bomb It’s world premiere at the 2007 Tribeca Film Festival.  Named one of “10 Digital Directors to Watch” by Daily Variety, the critically-acclaimed filmmaker has covered the West Coast punk explosion, documented the notorious San Francisco performance group Survival Research Laboratories, rave culture in his debut feature-length documentary, Better Living Through Circuitry, and, most recently, graffiti culture.  He also has a non-doc under his belt: the award-winning dark psychological drama, Cleopatra’s Second Husband.  Also famous for his music videos, in 1995 the Toronto Film Festival curated a retrospective of Reiss’ music videos, which included the notoriously disturbing and award-winning 1992 video, “Happiness in Slavery,” by Nine Inch Nails.  He is currently producing a global transmedia project about breast cancer, centered around a cinema verite documentary on the same subject, titled Agatha’s Choice.

His work has screened at festivals, theaters and cultural centers throughout the world as well as on channels such as IFC, Showtime, and the Sundance Channel.  Reiss is also a media strategist who helps filmmakers and companies navigate the new distribution and marketing landscape.  His experience releasing Bomb It with a hybrid strategy was the inspiration for writing Think Outside the Box Office: The Ultimate Guide to Film Distribution in the Digital Era, the first step-by-step guide for filmmakers to distribute and market their films.  He also co-wrote Selling Your Film Without Selling Your Soul.  He has worked with and consulted for Paramount Pictures, Screen Australia, Film Independent, Creative Scotland, The South Australian Film Corporation, the Venice Biennale, and numerous film schools and festivals to devise ways to educate and help independent filmmakers in the new economic landscape.  He has conducted his Think Outside the Box Office (TOTBO) Master Classes over four continents, and is the year-round distribution and marketing lab leader at the IFP Filmmaker Labs.  He received his MFA from the UCLA Film School and teaches in the Film Directing Program at the California Institute for the Arts.  Reiss also contributes to Filmmaker Magazine, Huffington Post, Indiewire, Screen Daily, Moviemaker Magazine, and other publications.  While Reiss has no current plans for a Bomb It 3, he admits to being curious about the sort of graffiti he might find in Antarctica.  “Wherever people go, they write on walls,” says Reiss.  www.jonreiss.com

MVD Entertainment Group –
Entertainment Group is a full service music and movie distribution firm, exclusively representing thousands of audio and visual products for DVD, Blu-ray, CD, vinyl, and digital rights, worldwide.  MVD also exclusively distributes a growing line of merchandise including limited edition collectibles, tee shirts, and more.  The company stays on the cutting edge of new media with a huge catalog of audio and visual digital rights, and by nurturing its direct relationships with the major digital and VOD platforms.  MVD works with a variety of up-and-coming platforms and actively pursues new relationships throughout the world.

Hybrid Cinema –
Hybrid Cinema was created by director and author Jon Reiss to help filmmakers navigate the ever-changing world of film distribution and marketing.  Hybrid Cinema consults with filmmakers to guide them through the maze of digital distribution and marketing by utilizing modern strategies of audience engagement, special theatrical events, as well as innovative merchandising and release patterns.  The firm also supervises film releases.  Hybrid clients/releases include Paramount Studios, Creative Visions Foundation, The Yes Men are Revolting, Connected/Tiffany Shlain, Bomb It, Joffrey: Mavericks of American Dance, Habibi, The Heist, and The Cosmonaut.  www.hybridcinema.com.

Links –
• Bomb It 2 Site – www.bombit2movie.com
• Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/bombitglobalgraffiti
• Bomb It Blog – http://blog.bombit-themovie.com
• Trailer – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CZ-8P11WLbI&feature=share&list=UUG6dsgigbASjsgAuomJzhDA
• YouTube Channel – http://www.youtube.com/user/BombItTheMovie
• Twitter – @bombitthemovie
• Tumblr – http://bombitmovie.tumblr.com
• MVD’s Bomb It 2 page – http://mvdb2b.com/s/BombIt2/MVD6079D

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For more information, screeners, images, or to request interviews, please contact Green Galactic’s Lynn Tejada at 213-840-1201 or lynn@greengalactic.com.

Bomb it 2 Artists
(photos courtesy Hybrid Cinema)
Top Row: Left – Thor; Middle – Ash Keating; Right – Stormie Mills
Middle Row: Left – Foma; Middle – Killer Gerbil; Right – Klone
Bottom Row: Left – Husk Mit Navn; Middle – Zero; Right – Darbotz