‘The Olympic Auditorium Project’ Examines History of Sports Arena Where They Filmed ‘Rocky’
Here’s your daily dose of an indie film in progress — at the end of the week, you’ll have the chance to vote for your favorite.
In the meantime: Is this a movie you’d want to see? Tell us in the comments.
The Olympic Auditorium Project
Tweetable Logline: A documentary about L.A.’s late great fight mecca, told through the voices of fighters, musicians, insiders and fans.
Elevator Pitch: We’re making a feature-length documentary that chronicles the action at the Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles’ late, great boxing, wrestling, roller derby and music arena. The Olympic hosted a who’s who of 20th century icons: Muhammad Ali, Andre the Giant, Johnny Rotten, Clint Eastwood, Joan Didion and many more. It was home for roller derby and a tribal gathering point of the hardcore punk scene. “Rocky,” “Raging Bull” and “Million Dollar Baby” were shot there. And did we mention that the ringmaster for this circus of violence was a woman? This story needs to be told — help us do it!
Production Team:
Director/Producer: Steve DeBro
Producer: Kellie Cunningham
Executive Producer: Willard Ford
Executive Producer: Robert Benavides (Executive producer/Director of photography for “Beats Rhymes and Life: The Travels of A Tribe Called Quest”)
Director of Photography: Tony Peck
About the Film: Growing up in L.A. the Olympic Auditorium was embedded in my DNA from childhood. I watched boxing with my dad, acted out the wrestling matches with my sister and was glued to the L.A. T-Birds roller derby. As I dug deeper, I discovered the story of Aileen Eaton, one of the most remarkable women in sports history. I’m obsessed with the story, in love with the characters and single-mindedly focused on completing this film. Though obviously an L.A. story, the characters, events and bold-faced names involved make it universal. I can’t wait to complete this project and show the world.
Current Status: We’ve shot about 15 interviews and currently have 95 backers and $30k raised of the $60k we’re seeking via Kickstarter.
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