#rakontur

I told everybody a few days ago via Twitter that I would be coming out with something very cool within the next few days that would be very exciting for everybody. I have long been looking to do some sort of series and while I will eventually examine a whole film series I want to keep the variety coming as well and provide interesting content. So I came up with this new idea to do what I am calling the director spotlight. I waited a few days to think about it and took a long time to write this post but finally I think it is exactly what I want to give to you guys. So, here it is, the first director spotlight. Today we are looking at an iconic director, Billy Corben.

Before we get into the series though I want to explain what this is all about. Often times when we are watching films we are captivated by the action onscreen: explosions, great acting, and engaging plot are all things we can easily observe in a film. However behind the scenes there is one man putting everything together, a director. Directors are often overlooked even though many of them have risen to greatness including but not limited to James Cameron, Quentin Tarantino, George Lucas, and Steven Spielberg. These directors make some truly epic films and even though their work is well known many people still overlook the role of the director in filmmaking. So I decided to make a series highlighting some great directors. The basic format of the series is as follows: an initial post explaining about the director (background, films directed, etc.), a week of reviews of films made by the director. I am looking to make this a continuous series but I don’t know yet how regularly I will be coming out with new installments. To be honest I’ll probably just throw them in there to keep things interesting every once in a while. Anyways, I’m really excited for this series and hope you guys enjoy it as well.

I decided to start this series off with a great director that isn’t as well known as some of the industry titans I mentioned previously. Billy Corben is the iconic Miami director responsible for the production of many iconic documentary style films including but not limited to: Cocaine Cowboys, The U Part 1, The U Part 2, Dawg Fight, and Broke. His company Rakontur makes very compelling pictures about real topics, often focusing on South Florida. He is a director that makes real, good movies. He chooses to tell a story with his films whether it’s about cocaine in Miami or how a school became a college football powerhouse. He doesn’t make gigantic blockbuster pictures with millions of dollars but instead tells stories that matter. He is first and foremost a storyteller, and film is his medium.

I recently, by accident watched many of his movies back to back. I was watching Netflix and started watching Dawg Fight and really enjoyed the film. Once that film was done I wanted a change of pace so I started watching his 30 for 30 called Broke. I really enjoyed that film and didn’t even realize it was his work as well. After watching both of those I had really enjoyed them and I looked to see they were both Billy Corben movies. After that I knew I had to watch arguably his most famous movie, Cocaine Cowboys. From the opening scenes I was hooked and couldn’t stop watching for the whole film. He has a way of telling stories that is very natural and keeps you wanting to find out more. Props to Netflix for being able to help me engage in binge watching these films but god damn they were good.

Being a South Florida native I try to watch as many films about topics related to the area and Corben has certainly released his fair share as he is from the area as well. Dawg Fight, Cocaine Cowboys, and The U (Pt 1 and Pt 2) all take place in the South Florida area, particularly focusing on Miami. It is also refreshing to see a filmmaker choose Miami not only for the topics of his films but also as a place to be based out of as well. He is a Miami based director, that’s right west coast people, we out here in the 305 making movie moves. His company Rakontur is also based out of Florida which is also very refreshing to see in this film industry now. Honestly this guy is just killing it down here and I look forward to seeing big things from him in the coming years as well.

Over the next week I’ll be showcasing some Corben films on the site so I hope you guys enjoy watching them just as much as I have. I’ll start with his latest film Dawg Fight, then I’ll be looking at the Cocaine Cowboys series and finally rounding it out with Broke. I’ll be covering the U Parts 1 and 2 separately but don’t worry sports fans much more is coming with regards to 30 for 30 as well. I hope you guys enjoy this week of Billy Corben. Hats off to you my man, keep up the good work!

Here is a schedule for the week:

Monday (Today) - Director Spotlight: Billy Corben

Wednesday - Dawg Fight

Friday - Cocaine Cowboys

Sunday - Broke

You can check Billy Corben out on Twitter here: twitter.com/billycorben

You can also check out his latest release Dawg Fight on his site: cocainecowboys.com

via The Hollywood Reporter:

'Too real' for distributors, Dawg Fight sells direct

When director Billy Corben showed DAWG FIGHT to potential distributors, they responded with: “Too urban,” “too violent,” “too real.” This story isn’t an easy sell for the mainstream, but Corben and the rest of rakontur knew it had an audience online. Now they’re distributing the film directly from their website, powered by VHX. 

DAWG FIGHT is not for the faint-of-heart. It’s a brutal look at underground MMA fighting in the backyards of Miami-Dade County, with plenty of face-crushing and blood to go around. And yet, it has so much heart. Beneath all the violent brawls, this documentary tells a human story of courage amidst desperation. Download and stream for $5 right here: http://www.dawg-fight.com.