''Planet B-Boy'' is a 2007

documentary film A documentary film (often described simply as a documentary) is a nonfiction Film, motion picture intended to "document reality, primarily for instruction, education or maintaining a Recorded history, historical record". The American author and ...

that focuses on the 2005

Battle of the Year Battle of the Year, commonly referred to as BOTY, is an annual international breakdancing competition that began in 1990. It has been regarded as the premier b-boying competition in the world and has been referred to as the "World Cup of B-Boying ...

while also describing

B-boy A b-boy is a person devoted to breaking or break dancing. B Boy may also refer to: Music * "B-Boy", a song by Tech N9ne featuring Big Scoob, Bumpy Knuckles, Kutt Calhoun, and Skatterman from the album '' K.O.D.'', 2009 * "B Boy" (song) by Meek ...

culture and history as a global phenomenon. This documentary was directed by Canadian-American Korean filmmaker

Benson Lee Benson Lee (born November 3, 1969) is an American filmmaker who has worked in drama, documentary, and commercial production for over twenty years. Education Lee attended or graduated from the University of Hawaii, New York University and the Fa ...

, shot by Portuguese-American filmmaker Vasco Nunes, and released in theaters in the United States on March 21, 2008. It was released on DVD on November 11, 2008.

Content

''Planet B-Boy'' features extensive footage of the dancers in competition as well as street performances and various rehearsals by the different crews from around the world. The narrative of the film centers on five particular crews (representing

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

South Korea South Korea, officially the Republic of Korea (ROK), is a country in East Asia. It constitutes the southern half of the Korea, Korean Peninsula and borders North Korea along the Korean Demilitarized Zone, with the Yellow Sea to the west and t ...

, and the

United States The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 U.S. state, states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 ...

) in their quest to win the Battle of the Year, and it includes multiple interviews with the B-Boys and their families. The film also includes interviews with German B-Boy and promoter Thomas Hergenröther (who founded the Battle of the Year competition) and legendary B-Boy Ken Swift of the

Rock Steady Crew {{Infobox musical artist , name = Rock Steady Crew , image = , landscape = yes , caption = , alias = , origin = The Bronx New York, Manhattan New York, U.S. , genre ...

. This film has been shown at numerous festivals around the world after originally making its debut on April 26, 2007, at the

Tribeca Film Festival The Tribeca Festival is an annual film festival organized by Tribeca Enterprises. It takes place each spring in New York City, showcasing a diverse selection of film, episodic, talks, music, games, art, and immersive programming. The festival ...

. ''Planet B-Boy'' has received many strong reviews and currently has a 91% rating at

Rotten Tomatoes Rotten Tomatoes is an American review aggregator, review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee ...

- with the consensus that "Lee's dazzling documentary makes a compelling argument for breakdancing as an art form". In March 2008 it was revealed that director Benson Lee was working on a feature adaptation of Planet B-Boy, starring

Chris Brown Christopher Maurice Brown (born May 5, 1989) is an American singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. A Pop music, pop and hip-hop-influenced contemporary R&B, R&B musician who works in a variety of genres, he has been called the "Honorific nic ...

and featuring many American b-boys such as Kid David from Renegades and Casper from Boogie Brats.

Awards and Selections

*Best Documentary Feature Award – 26th San Francisco International Asian American Film FestivalOm Shanti Om and Planet B-Boy Win Audience Awards
SFIAAFF page. Retrieved April 3, 2008. *Audience Award – 26th San Francisco International Asian American Film Festival *Moviesquad DOC U! Award – 2007

International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam The International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) is the world's largest documentary film festival held annually since 1988 in Amsterdam, Netherlands. Description IDFA is an independent, international meeting place for audiences ...

*Official Selection – 2007

Sydney Film Festival The Sydney Film Festival is an annual competitive film festival held in Sydney, Australia, usually over 12 days in June. A number of awards are given, the top one being the Sydney Film Prize. , the festival's director is Nashen Moodley. Histo ...

*Official Selection –

Edinburgh International Film Festival The Edinburgh International Film Festival (EIFF), established in 1947, is the world's oldest continually running film festival. EIFF presents both UK and international films (all titles are World, international, European or UK Premieres), in al ...

2007 *Official Selection – 33rd

Deauville American Film Festival The Deauville American Film Festival () is a yearly film festival devoted to Cinema of the United States, American cinema, which has taken place since 1975 in Deauville, France. It was established by Lionel Chouchan, André Halimi, and then ...

*Official Selection – 200
Constellation Change Film Festival
*Official Selection – 2008 Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival'Planet B-Boy' Lands in Philly
Hyphen Magazine. Retrieved October 16, 2008.

References

External links

* {{IMDb title, 0770796, Planet B-Boy
Interview with Benson Lee

March 2008 interview with the New York Daily News.
Conversation with Benson Lee, Director of Planet B-Boy
April 2009, State of Mind Music 2007 documentary films Documentary films about dance American dance films American documentary films Breakdancing films 2000s English-language films 2000s American films English-language documentary films