Saturday, September 13, 2008

Quality of Life



"Winner of a prestigious Special Mention jury award at the Berlin International Film Festival, Quality of Life is a narrative feature film that tells the gripping and authentic story of Michael "Heir" Rosario and Curtis “Vain” Smith, the most prolific and talented graffiti writers in the Mission District in San Francisco.

They live a life of dreary dead-end day jobs and illicit late night
graffiti, hitting up spots across the dark walls and lost tunnels of San Francisco.

However, one unlucky evening, the boys are busted for painting and everything changes.

Faced with restitution and the prospect of serving hard time, Heir and Vain struggle to maintain. As the cops close in again, the paths they choose threaten to unravel their lifelong friendship and, ultimately, their lives.

The film stars Lane Garrison in his feature film debut. Garrison co-starred on the hit TV series Prison Break.

Directed by Benjamin Morgan and co-written/co-starring former Mission District graffiti writer Brian Burnam, Quality of Life has been widely praised for its raw and authentic look at the graffiti subculture. The film was shot in San Francisco's gritty bohemian Mission District, far from the tourist-friendly cable cars and Golden Gate Bridge.

The Mission (as it is called) has a renowned graffiti history, incubating many world-class graffiti writers -- some of whom make cameo appearances in the film despite having outstanding warrants at the time of production. One actor was facing 12-18 months in state prison for graffiti-related charges.

Since its successful festival run, the film played seven weeks in San Francisco, selling out three nights in a row in New York City and then going on to screen in dozens of other cities around the country, before its European debut in 2007.

With almost no money and no traditional Hollywood connections, the film has ridden a surge of underground support and global word-of-mouth."


QualityOfLife-TheMovie.com

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