Loren Cass
Encyclopedia
Loren Cass is a feature-length motion picture, directed by 21-year-old independent filmmaker Chris Fuller, about adolescents coming to terms with their lives in St. Petersburg, Florida
after the 1996 riots there
. The film took ten years to complete.
Chailing behind about the many teenagers, it's an ensemble cast with an explosive difference as hard as it is sweet. To whit:
The story follows three central characters (Nicole, Jason and Cale) and several secondary ones (The Suicide Kid, The Punk Kid, and The Fight Kid, among others) through the aftermath of the '96 riots, and features several notable St. Petersburg landmarks including the Sunshine Skyway Bridge
, the St. Petersburg Pier
, St. Petersburg High School
and the house where Jack Kerouac
lived prior to his death in 1969. The film has been noted for its sequence on top of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge
and footage of the Budd Dwyer
suicide.
It stars Kayla Tabish, Travis Maynard, Lewis Brogan, mixed martial artist/UFC veteran Din Thomas
and Jacob Reynolds
with narration by Keith Morris
(of the band The Circle Jerks) and Blag Dahlia
(of the band The Dwarves). The film also includes a live performance by New York punk band Leftöver Crack
, which was the first show that included drummer Brandon Kolling in the lineup, who died shortly after filming.
In February 2006, independent filmmaking consultant Robert Hawk joined the film's crew to oversee its release effort. Bob Hawk is best known for discovering Kevin Smith
's 1994 comedy Clerks
.
In 2006 and 2007 the film was screened at Dennis Hopper's CineVegas
Film Festival and was selected as one of only 2 non-studio American independent films to screen at the 60th anniversary of the Locarno International Film Festival
where it was called "the discovery of the festival" by ARTE Television. Screenings will also be held at the Helsinki International Film Festival, the Viennale
, the Ljubljana International Film Festival
, the Gijon International Film Festival
, and the Starz Denver International Film Festival.
Also in 2007 the film was nominated for an IFP Gotham Award for "Best Film Not Playing in a Theater Near You" and won the One+One Music Award for use of music in a feature film at Janine Bazin's EntreVues Film Festival.
It was referred to in Variety as: "A starkly radical film debut of uncommon power and artistic principle, Chris Fuller's Loren Cass announces a genuinely original filmmaking talent who literally pulls no punches in his depiction of teen angst and racial warfare on the streets of 1997 St. Petersburg, Fla. Suffused with pessimism and an overarching sense of the loneliness of modern American life, the pic affirms a vital alternative to the usual adolescent drama, making even Larry Clark
look tame by comparison."
St. Petersburg, Florida
St. Petersburg is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. It is known as a vacation destination for both American and foreign tourists. As of 2008, the population estimate by the U.S. Census Bureau is 245,314, making St...
after the 1996 riots there
St. Petersburg, Florida Riot 1996
-Initial incident:At approximately 2 p.m. on Thursday, October 24, 1996, Officer James Knight of the St. Petersburg Police Department and his partner executed a traffic stop on a suspected stolen vehicle, which turned out not to be stolen. The driver of this vehicle, Tyron Lewis, an 18-year-old...
. The film took ten years to complete.
Chailing behind about the many teenagers, it's an ensemble cast with an explosive difference as hard as it is sweet. To whit:
The story follows three central characters (Nicole, Jason and Cale) and several secondary ones (The Suicide Kid, The Punk Kid, and The Fight Kid, among others) through the aftermath of the '96 riots, and features several notable St. Petersburg landmarks including the Sunshine Skyway Bridge
Sunshine Skyway Bridge
The Bob Graham Sunshine Skyway Bridge is a bridge spanning Tampa Bay, Florida, with a cable-stayed main span, and a total length of 21,877 feet . It is part of I-275 and US 19 , connecting St. Petersburg in Pinellas County and Terra Ceia in Manatee County, Florida, passing through Hillsborough...
, the St. Petersburg Pier
St. Petersburg Pier
The St. Petersburg Pier, simply called The Pier by locals, is a landmark and major tourist destination in downtown St. Petersburg, Florida. Some of the activities and sights it encompasses include fishing, boat rentals, weekly festivals, and the Pier Aquarium...
, St. Petersburg High School
St. Petersburg High School
St. Petersburg High School, founded in 1898, is a secondary school located in St. Petersburg, Florida. The school's current building, a historic landmark, was built in 1926 and listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1984. The school was billed as the nation's first million dollar...
and the house where Jack Kerouac
Jack Kerouac
Jean-Louis "Jack" Lebris de Kerouac was an American novelist and poet. He is considered a literary iconoclast and, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, a pioneer of the Beat Generation. Kerouac is recognized for his spontaneous method of writing, covering topics such as Catholic...
lived prior to his death in 1969. The film has been noted for its sequence on top of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge
Sunshine Skyway Bridge
The Bob Graham Sunshine Skyway Bridge is a bridge spanning Tampa Bay, Florida, with a cable-stayed main span, and a total length of 21,877 feet . It is part of I-275 and US 19 , connecting St. Petersburg in Pinellas County and Terra Ceia in Manatee County, Florida, passing through Hillsborough...
and footage of the Budd Dwyer
Budd Dwyer
Robert Budd Dwyer was an American politician in the commonwealth of Pennsylvania. He served from 1971 to 1981 as a member of the Pennsylvania State Senate representing the state's 50th district...
suicide.
It stars Kayla Tabish, Travis Maynard, Lewis Brogan, mixed martial artist/UFC veteran Din Thomas
Din Thomas
Din Yero Thomas is an American mixed martial arts fighter and part time break dancer, who was featured on The Ultimate Fighter 4. He currently runs two successful Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu and MMA academies in Port St. Lucie, Florida and is a black belt in Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu under Ricardo Liborio...
and Jacob Reynolds
Jacob Reynolds
Jacob Reynolds is an American film actor born in St. Petersburg, Florida who began acting at age four. His career started with an American television commercial for Ritz Crackers, but he is perhaps best known for his role as Solomon in the cult film Gummo. In 2007 he appeared in the Gotham Award...
with narration by Keith Morris
Keith Morris
Keith Morris is an American singer and songwriter known for his role as frontman of the hardcore punk bands Black Flag, the Circle Jerks, and Off! Born and raised in Hermosa Beach, California, he formed Black Flag at the age of 21 with guitarist Greg Ginn and performed on the band's 1978 debut EP...
(of the band The Circle Jerks) and Blag Dahlia
Blag Dahlia
Paul Cafaro , better known as Blag Dahlia, is an American musician, producer, and author.-Music career:Cafaro is a native of Highland Park, Illinois, and is most well known as the front-man of Dwarves, a punk rock band. With the Dwarves he has written and produced 10 full length records over a span...
(of the band The Dwarves). The film also includes a live performance by New York punk band Leftöver Crack
Leftöver Crack
Leftöver Crack is an American punk rock band formed in 1998, following the breakup of the ska punk band Choking Victim. Primarily playing an amalgam of ska and hardcore punk, they classify themselves as "crack-rocksteady". The band is currently signed to Fat Wreck Chords for CD releases, and...
, which was the first show that included drummer Brandon Kolling in the lineup, who died shortly after filming.
In February 2006, independent filmmaking consultant Robert Hawk joined the film's crew to oversee its release effort. Bob Hawk is best known for discovering Kevin Smith
Kevin Smith
Kevin Patrick Smith is an American screenwriter, actor, film producer, and director, as well as a popular comic book writer, author, comedian/raconteur, and internet radio personality best recognized by viewers as Silent Bob...
's 1994 comedy Clerks
Clerks
Clerks is a 1994 independent comedy film written and directed by Kevin Smith, who also appears in the film as Silent Bob. Starring Brian O'Halloran as Dante Hicks and Jeff Anderson as Randal Graves, it presents a day in the lives of two store clerks and their acquaintances...
.
In 2006 and 2007 the film was screened at Dennis Hopper's CineVegas
Cinevegas
CineVegas was a film festival held annually at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas that ran from 1999 to 2009, typically in early June. Robin Greenspun serves as the Festival president, and Trevor Groth serves as artistic director. Actor Dennis Hopper is the chairman of the Festival's creative...
Film Festival and was selected as one of only 2 non-studio American independent films to screen at the 60th anniversary of the Locarno International Film Festival
Locarno International Film Festival
The Film Festival Locarno is an international film festival held annually in the city of Locarno, Switzerland since 1946. After Cannes and Venice and together with Karlovy Vary, Locarno is the Film Festival with the longest history...
where it was called "the discovery of the festival" by ARTE Television. Screenings will also be held at the Helsinki International Film Festival, the Viennale
Viennale
The Vienna International Film Festival, or Viennale, is a film festival taking place every October since 1960 in Vienna, Austria.The average number of visitors is about 75,000. Traditional cinema venues are Gartenbaukino, Urania, Metro-Kino, Filmmuseum and Stadtkino...
, the Ljubljana International Film Festival
Ljubljana International Film Festival
The Ljubljana International Film Festival is an international film festival established in 1990 and held annually in Ljubljana, Slovenia....
, the Gijon International Film Festival
Gijón International Film Festival
Gijón International Film Festival was created in 1963. It was born as an initiative of the local authority and it was sponsored mainly by Gijón City Council and the then Caja de Ahorros de Asturias ; both institutions are still the main organisers of the festival, along with funding from the...
, and the Starz Denver International Film Festival.
Also in 2007 the film was nominated for an IFP Gotham Award for "Best Film Not Playing in a Theater Near You" and won the One+One Music Award for use of music in a feature film at Janine Bazin's EntreVues Film Festival.
It was referred to in Variety as: "A starkly radical film debut of uncommon power and artistic principle, Chris Fuller's Loren Cass announces a genuinely original filmmaking talent who literally pulls no punches in his depiction of teen angst and racial warfare on the streets of 1997 St. Petersburg, Fla. Suffused with pessimism and an overarching sense of the loneliness of modern American life, the pic affirms a vital alternative to the usual adolescent drama, making even Larry Clark
Larry Clark
Lawrence Donald "Larry" Clark is an American film director, photographer, writer and film producer who is best known for the movie Kids and his photography book Tulsa...
look tame by comparison."