Rakontur: Difference between revisions
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'''Rakontur''' is a [[Miami]]-based media studio founded by Alfred Spellman and Billy Corben in 2000.<ref>http://www.manta.com/c/mtg55l5/rakontur-short-form-llc</ref> |
'''Rakontur''' is a [[Miami]]-based media studio founded by [[Alfred Spellman]] and [[Billy Corben]] in 2000.<ref>http://www.manta.com/c/mtg55l5/rakontur-short-form-llc</ref> |
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==History== |
==History== |
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Rakontur's feature documentary debut, ''Raw Deal: A Question of Consent'', premiered at the [[Sundance Film Festival]] in 2001, making Corben one of the youngest directors in Sundance history.{{Citation needed|date=May 2010}} 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)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.filmthreat.com/reviews/1653/|title=Review: Raw Deal: A Question of Consent|work=Film Threat Magazine}}</ref>, ''Raw Deal'' landed on the cover of ''[[New York Post]]'' |
Rakontur's feature documentary debut, ''Raw Deal: A Question of Consent'', premiered at the [[Sundance Film Festival]] in 2001, making Corben one of the youngest directors in Sundance history.{{Citation needed|date=May 2010}} 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)<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.filmthreat.com/reviews/1653/|title=Review: Raw Deal: A Question of Consent|work=Film Threat Magazine}}</ref>, ''Raw Deal'' landed on the cover of ''[[New York Post]]'' |
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<ref>{{cite news|url=http://movies.nytimes.com/2006/10/27/movies/27cowb.html|title=Movie Review: Cocaine Cowboys - A Culture Built of Guns, Drugs and Blood|work=The New York Times | first=Jeannette | last=Catsoulis | date=October 27, 2006}}</ref> The non-fiction film chronicles how the cocaine trade built their hometown of Miami through firsthand accounts of some of the most successful smugglers of the era and the deadliest hitman of the cocaine wars. |
<ref>{{cite news|url=http://movies.nytimes.com/2006/10/27/movies/27cowb.html|title=Movie Review: Cocaine Cowboys - A Culture Built of Guns, Drugs and Blood|work=The New York Times | first=Jeannette | last=Catsoulis | date=October 27, 2006}}</ref> The non-fiction film chronicles how the cocaine trade built their hometown of Miami through firsthand accounts of some of the most successful smugglers of the era and the deadliest hitman of the cocaine wars. |
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''Cocaine Cowboys'' was ''[[New York Magazine]]'''s Critic's Pick<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nymag.com/movies/reviews/16813/index2.html|title=2006 Tribeca Scorecard|work=New York Magazine}}</ref> when it premiered at the 2006 [[Tribeca Film Festival]] and, after a limited theatrical release, the movie became a worldwide phenomenon on DVD{{Citation needed|date=May 2010}} and the highest-rated documentary in the history of the [[Showtime (TV network)|Showtime]] cable network.{{Citation needed|date=May 2010}} The sequel, |
''Cocaine Cowboys'' was ''[[New York Magazine]]'''s Critic's Pick<ref>{{cite web|url=http://nymag.com/movies/reviews/16813/index2.html|title=2006 Tribeca Scorecard|work=New York Magazine}}</ref> when it premiered at the 2006 [[Tribeca Film Festival]] and, after a limited theatrical release, the movie became a worldwide phenomenon on DVD{{Citation needed|date=May 2010}} and the highest-rated documentary in the history of the [[Showtime (TV network)|Showtime]] cable network.{{Citation needed|date=May 2010}} The sequel, [[Cocaine Cowboys 2: Hustlin’ with the Godmothe]], was released in 2008. |
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In 2007 and again in 2010, Rakontur was selected for the Realscreen Global 100<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.realscreen.com/global100/2007.cgi|title=2007 Global 100|work=Realscreen}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.realscreen.com/articles/magazine/20100301/global100marapr10.html?page=6|title=2010 Global 100|work=Realscreen}}</ref>, “an annual list of the most exciting and influential production companies working in non-fiction film and television." That same year, Spellman and Corben were listed among of the 50 Most Influential People in Miami by ''The SunPost''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rakontur.com/journal/2007/4/26/sun-post-names-us-among-the-50-most-influential-people-in-mi.html|title=50 Most Influential People in Miami|work=The Sun Post}}</ref>{{primary source claim|date=May 2010}}. In December 2009, the ''[[Miami New Times]]'' declared ''Cocaine Cowboys'' #3 on it’s "Top Ten of the Decade: Miami in Pop Culture."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/riptide/2009/12/top_ten_miami_moments_in_pop_c.php?page=4|title=Top Ten of the Decade: Miami in Pop Culture|work=Miami New Times}}</ref> |
In 2007 and again in 2010, Rakontur was selected for the Realscreen Global 100<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.realscreen.com/global100/2007.cgi|title=2007 Global 100|work=Realscreen}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.realscreen.com/articles/magazine/20100301/global100marapr10.html?page=6|title=2010 Global 100|work=Realscreen}}</ref>, “an annual list of the most exciting and influential production companies working in non-fiction film and television." That same year, Spellman and Corben were listed among of the 50 Most Influential People in Miami by ''The SunPost''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rakontur.com/journal/2007/4/26/sun-post-names-us-among-the-50-most-influential-people-in-mi.html|title=50 Most Influential People in Miami|work=The Sun Post}}</ref>{{primary source claim|date=May 2010}}. In December 2009, the ''[[Miami New Times]]'' declared ''Cocaine Cowboys'' #3 on it’s "Top Ten of the Decade: Miami in Pop Culture."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blogs.miaminewtimes.com/riptide/2009/12/top_ten_miami_moments_in_pop_c.php?page=4|title=Top Ten of the Decade: Miami in Pop Culture|work=Miami New Times}}</ref> |
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"They've created a whole new audience: an alternative, youth-leaning, nonfiction-seeking core," Tom Quinn, senior vice-president of Magnolia Pictures, told BusinessWeek in a 2008 profile on rakontur.<ref>http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_36/b4098066945559.htm?chan=magazine+channel_what%27s+next</ref> |
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''[[The U (documentary)|The U]]'', a feature documentary about the championship history of the [[University of Miami]] [[Miami Hurricanes football|Hurricanes football]] program, produced by Rakontur for [[ESPN]]'s ''[[30 for 30]]'' series, became the highest-rated<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118012832.html?categoryId=1011&cs=1#|title='The U' sets docu record at ESPN|work=Variety | first=Stuart | last=Levine | date=2009-12-16}}</ref> documentary in the network's 30 year history, when it debuted on December 12th, 2009, following the [[Heisman Trophy]] presentation. |
''[[The U (documentary)|The U]]'', a feature documentary about the championship history of the [[University of Miami]] [[Miami Hurricanes football|Hurricanes football]] program, produced by Rakontur for [[ESPN]]'s ''[[30 for 30]]'' series, became the highest-rated<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118012832.html?categoryId=1011&cs=1#|title='The U' sets docu record at ESPN|work=Variety | first=Stuart | last=Levine | date=2009-12-16}}</ref> documentary in the network's 30 year history, when it debuted on December 12th, 2009, following the [[Heisman Trophy]] presentation. |
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Revision as of 15:57, 12 October 2011
 | This article contains promotional content. (May 2010) |
Rakontur is a Miami-based media studio founded by Alfred Spellman and Billy Corben in 2000.[1]
History
Rakontur's feature documentary debut, Raw Deal: A Question of Consent, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2001, making Corben one of the youngest directors in Sundance history.[citation needed] 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)[2], Raw Deal landed on the cover of New York Post [3][non-primary source needed] and has been seen all over the world.[citation needed]
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.” [4] The non-fiction film chronicles how the cocaine trade built their hometown of Miami through firsthand accounts of some of the most successful smugglers of the era and the deadliest hitman of the cocaine wars.
Cocaine Cowboys was New York Magazine's Critic's Pick[5] when it premiered at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival and, after a limited theatrical release, the movie became a worldwide phenomenon on DVD[citation needed] and the highest-rated documentary in the history of the Showtime cable network.[citation needed] The sequel, Cocaine Cowboys 2: Hustlin’ with the Godmothe, was released in 2008.
In 2007 and again in 2010, Rakontur was selected for the Realscreen Global 100[6][7], “an annual list of the most exciting and influential production companies working in non-fiction film and television." That same year, Spellman and Corben were listed among of the 50 Most Influential People in Miami by The SunPost[8][non-primary source needed]. In December 2009, the Miami New Times declared Cocaine Cowboys #3 on it’s "Top Ten of the Decade: Miami in Pop Culture."[9] "They've created a whole new audience: an alternative, youth-leaning, nonfiction-seeking core," Tom Quinn, senior vice-president of Magnolia Pictures, told BusinessWeek in a 2008 profile on rakontur.[10]
The U, a feature documentary about the championship history of the University of Miami Hurricanes football program, produced by Rakontur for ESPN's 30 for 30 series, became the highest-rated[11] documentary in the network's 30 year history, when it debuted on December 12th, 2009, following the Heisman Trophy presentation.
rakontur debuted two new films in the first half of 2011. Square Grouper: The Godfathers of Ganja, an examination of freewheeling pot smugglers in 1970s South Florida, had its world premiere at the SXSW Film Festival in March, followed by a limited theatrical and DVD release by Magnolia Pictures. The next month rakontur premiered Limelight (2011 documentary), a chronicle of the rise and fall of infamous New York nightclub mogul [[Peter Gatien]'s empire, set against the Giuliani transformation of New York City in the 1990s, at the Tribeca Film Festival. Magnolia released Limelgiht in theaters in September 2011.
The 2012 slate for Rakontur includes a Cocaine Cowboys dramatic series for HBO with executive producers Jerry Bruckheimer and Michael Bay[12], Dawg Fight, a brutal expose on underground backyard MMA fighting in one of Miami's toughest neighborhoods; a feature documentary for ESPN examining the explosion of big money in sports and the epidemic of professional athletes who have gone broke and a new installment of their documentary series, Cocaine Cowboys: Los Muchachos, about the Miami-based federal trials of Sal Magluta and Willy Falcon, the most successful Cuban drug traffickers in history.[citation needed]
Filmography
- Raw Deal: A Question of Consent (2001)
- Cocaine Cowboys (2006)
- Cocaine Cowboys 2: Hustlin' with the Godmother (2008)
- The U (2009)
- Cocaine Cowboys: Remix (2011)
- Square Grouper: The Godfathers of Ganja (2011)
- Limelight (2011 documentary)
- Dawg Fight (2012)
- Cocaine Cowboys: Los Muchachos (2012)
Web Series
- Clubland Miami (2008)
References
- ^ http://www.manta.com/c/mtg55l5/rakontur-short-form-llc
- ^ "Review: Raw Deal: A Question of Consent". Film Threat Magazine.
- ^ "Rape, Lies and Videotape". New York Post.
- ^ Catsoulis, Jeannette (October 27, 2006). "Movie Review: Cocaine Cowboys - A Culture Built of Guns, Drugs and Blood". The New York Times.
- ^ "2006 Tribeca Scorecard". New York Magazine.
- ^ "2007 Global 100". Realscreen.
- ^ "2010 Global 100". Realscreen.
- ^ "50 Most Influential People in Miami". The Sun Post.
- ^ "Top Ten of the Decade: Miami in Pop Culture". Miami New Times.
- ^ http://www.businessweek.com/magazine/content/08_36/b4098066945559.htm?chan=magazine+channel_what%27s+next
- ^ Levine, Stuart (2009-12-16). "'The U' sets docu record at ESPN". Variety.
- ^ "HBO Rides with 'Cocaine Cowboys'". Zap2it.
External links
