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Rakontur
rakontur is a Miami-based media studio founded by Billy Corben and Alfred Spellman in 2000. History Rakontur's feature documentary debut, ''Raw Deal: A Question of Consent'', premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2001, making Corben the youngest director to premiere in Sundance history. Examining the alleged rape of an exotic dancer at a University of Florida fraternity house, the film utilized extensive clips from videotape footage of the alleged assault. Considered by critics to be “one of the most controversial films of the modern day” and “one of the most compelling pieces of non-fiction ever produced,” (Film Threat Magazine), ''Raw Deal'' landed on the cover of ''New York Post'' and has been seen all over the world. Following that success Rakontur took on another Florida true-crime story, this one closer to home. ''The New York Times'' called '' Cocaine Cowboys'', “a hyperventilating account of the blood-drenched Miami drug culture in the 1970s and 1980s.� ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Billy Corben
William Cohen (born 1978), better known by the stage name Billy Corben, is an American documentary film director. Along with producing partner Alfred Spellman, he is co-founder of the Miami-based studio Rakontur, which has created films such as ''Cocaine Cowboys (2006 film), Cocaine Cowboys'', ''Dawg Fight'', ''The U (film), The U'', and ''The U Part 2''. Early life and education Corben was born in Fort Myers, Florida to a Jews, Jewish family, and was raised in South Florida. As a child actor, he spent a large portion of his early days in Los Angeles. He attended New World School of the Arts for high school, and then the University of Miami, where he majored in political science, screenwriting, and theater and graduated with honors. Career Corben's feature documentary directorial debut, ''Raw Deal: A Question of Consent'', premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2001, making him one of the youngest directors in Sundance history. Examining the alleged rape of an exotic dancer ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Alfred Spellman
Alfred Spellman is an American film and television producer who co-founded the media studio rakontur. Early life Spellman was born in Miami Beach, Florida on November 15, 1978. He graduated from North Miami Beach Senior High School. Filmography *''Raw Deal: A Question of Consent'' (2001) *'' Cocaine Cowboys'' (2006) *''Cocaine Cowboys 2: Hustlin With The Godmother'' (2008) *''Clubland'' (2008) *''The U "The U" is a nickname often given to a university. Specifically, it has been used to refer to: * The University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida **Miami Hurricanes, the University of Miami's athletic program and teams * ''The U'' (film), a 2009 do ...'' (2009) *'' Square Grouper'' (2011) *'' Limelight (2011)'' *''Broke'' (2012) *''Collision Course'' (2013) *''The Tanning of America: One Nation Under Hip Hop'' (2014) *''Cocaine Cowboys Reloaded ''(2014) *''The U Part 2 ''(2014) *'' Dawg Fight'' (2015) *''Miami Beach 100'' (2015) *''Magic City Hustle'' (2019) *''Screwball ''(20 ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dawg Fight
''Dawg Fight'' is a documentary film directed by Billy Corben about the mixed martial arts career and personal life of Bellator MMA fighter Dhaffir Harris aka Dada 5000. The documentary is critically acclaimed for its sobering account of the brutal sport no holds barred fighting and bareknuckle fighting. It was also the last film appearance of Kimbo Slice Kevin Ferguson (February 8, 1974 – June 6, 2016), better known as Kimbo Slice, was a Bahamian-American mixed martial artist, professional boxer, and actor. Originally a bare-knuckle boxer, he became noted for his role in mutual combat stre ... before his death in 2016. Reception The film received positive responses from critics. References External links *{{IMDb title, 1421361 * http://www.rakontur.com/ * http://www.dawg-fight.com/ 2015 films Documentary films about sportspeople American sports documentary films Mixed martial arts documentaries Films directed by Billy Corben 2010s English-language films ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The U (film)
''The U'' is a 2009 documentary film about the University of Miami's Miami Hurricanes football, football program produced by Miami-based media studio Rakontur and directed by Billy Corben. The film premiered December 12, 2009 after the Heisman Trophy presentation on ESPN as a part of their ''30 for 30'' documentary series. ''The U's'' premiere drew 2.3 million viewers, the most ever for a documentary on the sports cable network until the debut of ''Pony Excess'', a documentary about the Southern Methodist University football scandal in the 1980s. Release This film was released on DVD in 2010, both separately and as part of the ''30 for 30'' box set. The DVD cover, depicting Michael Irvin, originally had the "U" logo on his helmet, but it was airbrushed from the cover after the University of Miami objected to the logo's use. Excerpts from Florida State University's "Seminole Rap" video that initially appeared in the documentary were also cut from the DVD release. Sequel: ''The ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cocaine Cowboys (2006 Film)
''Cocaine Cowboys'' is a 2006 documentary film directed by Billy Corben, and produced by Alfred Spellman and Billy Corben through their Miami-based media studio Rakontur. The film explores the rise of cocaine dealer Jon Roberts, described by prosecutors as "The Medellin Cartel's American representative". The film chronicles his role in the Miami drug war (the resulting crime epidemic that swept the American city of Miami, Florida, in the 1970s and 1980s). The producers of ''Cocaine Cowboys'' use interviews with Law enforcement agency, law enforcement, journalists, lawyers, former illegal drug trade, drug smugglers, and gang members to provide a first-hand perspective of the Miami drug war. Synopsis ''Cocaine Cowboys'' chronicles the development of the illegal drug trade in Miami, Florida, Miami during the 1970s and 1980s with interviews of both law enforcement and organized crime leaders, in addition to news footage from the era. The film reveals that in the 1960s and early 1970s ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Limelight (2011 Film)
''Limelight'' is a 2011 documentary film that charts the rise and fall of New York City club king Peter Gatien. Produced by Gatien's daughter, Jen Gatien, it was released in special markets throughout the United States and Canada on September 23, 2011. Synopsis As the owner of legendary New York City hotspots like The Limelight, Tunnel, Palladium, and Club USA, Peter Gatien was considered by many to be the undisputed king of the 1980s New York City club scene. The Ontario native, whose trademark eye patch made him stand out in a crowd, built and oversaw a chain of nightclub ventures that brought thousands of patrons per night during its peak years. However, after years of legal battles and police pressure spearheaded by Mayor Rudolph Giuliani's drive to crack down on the city's nightlife scene during the mid-1990s, Gatien was deported to Canada, bringing an end to his presence and influence in the city's nightlife scene. The documentary features interviews with numerous people inv ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Miami Hurricanes Football
The Miami Hurricanes football team represents the University of Miami in college football. The Hurricanes compete in the National Collegiate Athletic Association, NCAA's NCAA Division I, Division I NCAA Division I Football Bowl Subdivision, Football Bowl Subdivision, the highest level of collegiate football in the nation. The team is a member of the Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC), one of the Power Four conferences in college football. The program began in 1926 and joined the ACC in 2004, competing in the conference's Coastal Division from 2005 until the ACC eliminated divisions in 2023. The Miami Hurricanes are among the most storied and decorated football programs in NCAA history. Miami has won five AP Trophy, AP national championships in 1983 Miami Hurricanes football team, 1983, 1987 Miami Hurricanes football team, 1987, 1989 Miami Hurricanes football team, 1989, 1991 Miami Hurricanes football team, 1991, and 2001 Miami Hurricanes football team, 2001. Miami is ranked fourth o ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
30 For 30
''30 for 30'' is the title for a series of documentary films airing on ESPN, its sister networks, and online highlighting interesting people and events in sports history. This includes four "volumes" of 30 episodes each, a 13-episode series under the ''ESPN Films Presents'' title in 2011–2012, and a series of ''30 for 30 Shorts'' shown through the ESPN.com website. The series has also expanded to include ''Soccer Stories'', which aired in advance of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, and audio podcasts. Background The idea for the series began in 2007 from ESPN.com columnist and Grantland.com founder Bill Simmons and ESPN's Connor Schell. The title, ''30 for 30'', derived from the series's genesis as 30 films in celebration of ESPN's 30th anniversary in 2009, with an exploration of the biggest stories from ESPN's first 30 years on-air, through a series of 30 one-hour films by 30 filmmakers. Volume I premiered in October 2009 and ran to December 2010, chronicling 30 stories from t ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Heisman Trophy
The Heisman Memorial Trophy ( ; also known simply as the Heisman) is awarded annually since 1935 to the top player in college football. It is considered the most prestigious award in the sport and is presented by the Heisman Trophy Trust following the regular season in December. The most recent List of Heisman Trophy winners, winner is former Colorado Buffaloes football, Colorado Buffaloes cornerback and wide receiver Travis Hunter. The award was created by the Downtown Athletic Club to recognize "the most valuable college football player east of the Mississippi River, Mississippi" and was first awarded to University of Chicago halfback Jay Berwanger. The award was given its name in 1936 after the death of the club's athletic director John Heisman and broadened to include players west of the Mississippi. Winners USC Trojans football, USC has the most Heisman trophies won with eight; Ohio State, Oklahoma, and Notre Dame each have seven; Ohio State has had six different players wi ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
The Godfathers Of Ganja
''The'' is a grammatical article in English, denoting nouns that are already or about to be mentioned, under discussion, implied or otherwise presumed familiar to listeners, readers, or speakers. It is the definite article in English. ''The'' is the most frequently used word in the English language; studies and analyses of texts have found it to account for seven percent of all printed English-language words. It is derived from gendered articles in Old English which combined in Middle English and now has a single form used with nouns of any gender. The word can be used with both singular and plural nouns, and with a noun that starts with any letter. This is different from many other languages, which have different forms of the definite article for different genders or numbers. Pronunciation In most dialects, "the" is pronounced as (with the voiced dental fricative followed by a schwa) when followed by a consonant sound, and as (homophone of the archaic pronoun ''thee'' ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Mixed Martial Arts
Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting combat sport, sport based on strike (attack), striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place throughout Japan and the countries of East Asia. At the same time, in Brazil there was a phenomenon called vale tudo, which became known for unrestricted fights between various styles such as judo, Brazilian jiu-jitsu, catch wrestling, luta livre, Muay Thai and capoeira. An early high-profile mixed bout was Masahiko Kimura vs. Hélio Gracie, Kimura vs Gracie in 1951. In mid-20th century Hong Kong, rooftop street fighting contests between different martial arts styles gave rise to Bruce Lee's hybrid martial arts style Jeet Kune Do. Another precursor to modern MMA was the 1976 Muhammad Ali vs. Antonio Inoki, Ali vs. Inoki exhibition bout, fought between boxer Muhammad Ali and wrestler Antonio Inoki in Japan, where ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
SXSW
South by Southwest (SXSW) is an annual conglomeration of parallel film, interactive media, and music festivals and Convention (meeting), conferences organized jointly that take place in mid-March in Austin, Texas. It began in 1987 and has continued growing in both scope and size every year. In 2017, the conference lasted for 10 days with the interactive track lasting for five days, music for seven days, and film for nine days. There was no in-person event in 2020 and 2021 as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic in Austin, Texas, COVID-19 pandemic in Austin; in both years there was a smaller online event instead. SXSW is run by the company SXSW, LLC, which organizes conferences, trade shows, festivals, and other events. In addition to SXSW, the company runs the conference SXSW EDU and the SXSW Sydney festival (from 2023, in Sydney, Australia) and co-runs North by Northeast in Toronto. Beginning in June 2025, the inaugural South by Southwest London, SXSW London will also take place. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
