YoYo Related News From Around The World
Coffin Nachtmahr & the Early Light Media team accepting an Emmy for Short Format Program at the #CapsEmmys. Photo: Paul Gessler
We’re thrilled to announce that the documentary THROW, featuring Coffin Nachtmahr, has won a regional Emmy award! Huge congratulations to Coffin and the Early Light Media team for this well-deserved win! (Skip to 48:28 to see them accept their award)
The 59th Emmy® Awards Gala LIVE https://t.co/1y5zYBlDYr
— Capital Emmys (@CapitalEmmys) June 24, 2017
The “Throw” documentary that we blogged about previously is now available for public viewing! The full 10-minute film is now available to watch online, and it’s a beautiful look at the power of our ridiculous passion and some strong insight into Coffin Nachtmahr, one of our own.
Throw tells the story of an outsider from East Baltimore, an area challenged by gang violence and poverty. Often misunderstood, Coffin Nachtmahr found acceptance among a subculture of “throwers” and it turns out, he’s a virtuoso. He now helps others find a creative and social outlet by sharing the very toy that inspired him.
David Larson, the co-director of the film, was walking through Patterson Park when he discovered Coffin playing with a yo-yo. Coffin is hard not to notice with his gothic appearance, eye makeup, and prodigy-like throwing moves. After a brief conversation we decided to learn more and now we’re proud to finally debut the film later this month. Please stay tuned to watch the full version that will soon be available on our website and social media channels.
This was an exciting and humbling project for us to undertake. Thank you Coffin for letting a couple of awkward dudes with cameras tag along with you for a little while, and of course thank you for having the courage to share your inspirational story.
Production company Early Light Media is kicking off their Invisible Thread short film series with “Throw”, a documentary about OhYesYo owner Coffin Nachtmahr. The film will debut at Mountainfilm in Telluride, CO later this month. Looks like a great piece on one of the more interesting personalities in the yoyo community…maybe we’ll have to organize a screening at the World YoYo Contest, too?
Throw tells the story of an outsider from East Baltimore, an area challenged by gang violence and poverty. Often misunderstood, Coffin Nachtmahr found acceptance among a subculture of “throwers” and it turns out, he’s a virtuoso. He now helps others find a creative and social outlet by sharing the very toy that inspired him.
David Larson, the co-director of the film, was walking through Patterson Park when he discovered Coffin playing with a yo-yo. Coffin is hard not to notice with his gothic appearance, eye makeup, and prodigy-like throwing moves. After a brief conversation we decided to learn more and now we’re proud to finally debut the film later this month. Please stay tuned to watch the full version that will soon be available on our website and social media channels.
This was an exciting and humbling project for us to undertake. Thank you Coffin for letting a couple of awkward dudes with cameras tag along with you for a little while, and of course thank you for having the courage to share your inspirational story.
Time to brush up on your Portuguese!
The Brazilian yoyo scene was “the little scene that could” in the early 2000s. They were relatively far removed from the rest of the countries with major scenes, handicapped by huge import duties that made it really hard for them to get the yoyos everyone else was using, and with a lower-value currency that made it stupidly expensive to get to the US or Japan for major contests. So they did what any resourceful, creative, dedicated, amazing group of talented people would do: they figured out how to make it work all on their own. They built their own local brand, they built their own scene, and they made so much noise that the rest of the world couldn’t miss them if they tried, culminating in Brazilian player Rafael Matsunaga becoming the first modern World YoYo Champion not from the US or Japan.
I had the good fortune to visit Brazil once for Brazilian Nationals, and it was amazing. Every player in the country piled into a room that was so thick with bodies there was condensation on the ceiling, cheering each other on with deafening whoops and hollers as they started their routines. It was the very model of a scene built out of love and necessity, and I’m so glad that it’s been documented, and that someone is putting these time capsule together so that everyone can see what an amazing contribution to the art and sport of yoyo play Brazil has made.
Filmmaker Piotrek Smietana has released the second trailer for his in-progress documentary about yoyoing, We Are Throwers. Looks like Piotrek has been having fun with his drone!
Piotrek and I are working on a proper cinematic premiere of the film at the 2016 World YoYo Contest…we’ll announce details once they are confirmed!
CLYW team member Ernest Kahn teamed up with Bay Area film student Anthony Forcione for this great look into the life and mind of a modern yoyo player.
Yoyorecreation just released a trailer for “Revelation”, a short new documentary coming soon about the 7-year old company that has been a dominant player in the high-end yoyo market in Japan…one of the most demanding yoyo markets in the world.
Filmed and edited by Piotrek Smietana, and featuring tons of drone footage and extra-epic music. Because yes.
The IndieGoGo campaign for We Are Throwers is live! The race is now on to gain funding for this incredibly ambitious documentary about the modern yoyo scene, to be filmed and directed by yoyo filmmaker extraordinaire (and occasional YoYoNews contributor) Piotrek Smietana.
It seems every year some filmmaker pops up and wants to create a documentary about the yoyo scene. These are always done from an “outside looking in” perspective, and while it’s illuminating to see how the rest of the world views yoyo players it always leaves the players themselves feeling a little left out. We Are Throwers definitely aims to change that as a documentary shot entire by and for yoyo players.
The perks are fantastic…limited editions YoYoRecreation Draupnirs, one-off anodizing tests from CLYW, DVDs, shirts, and tons more items coming from manufacturers like Rebellion. There is something for everyone, and all yoyo players should be able to find a level to support and help make this love letter to the yoyo community happen.
Head over to IndieGoGo right now and pledge your support, and then share the link to get more people involved!
Czech television station Česká Televize has posted a 25-minute documentary about the 2014 World YoYo Contest and the Czech yoyo scene that put it together. A fair chunk of the documentary is, predictably, in the Czech language but it’s a great watch and you can still get a pretty clear idea of what’s going on. Because hey, yoyoing is an international language, right?
Click the image above to watch the documentary!
Piotrek Smietana, one of the most celebrated and respected videographers in the yoyo scene, is working on a new documentary about our community, our industry, and the people who hold it together.
We Are Throwers will begin fundraising soon on Kickstarter to raise money for gear and travel for Piotrek and his crew to visit players and events around the world to truly document what it means to be a yoyo player in the modern age. Check out this amazing trailer, and we’ll be sure to update when their Kickstarter page is live!
Kendama players Joshua Seno & Bobby Guieb put together this great 9-minute documentary about the modern kendama scene. Really nicely done, and definitely worth checking out. Featuring Matt Rice, Sourmash, Jake Wiens, & more.
This one totally slipped by us…our favorite comment troll, Ben Gates, filmed a short documentary on modern yoyoing…on 16mm, no less! Looks like it was shot at last year’s MA State YoYo Contest. From the video description:
An exploration of modern yo-yoing as a form of visual communication. Produced for Documenting Visual Culture IN 374. Filmed on a 16mm Bolex camera at MA States 2012 and Z-Games 2013.
Featuring the tricks of Alex Lozyniak, Michael Ferdico, James Lowell, Tyler McCallumore, Grant Johnson, Eric Koloski, Mark Mangarin, Elliot Jackson, Nick DeValpine, Matt Burkhead, Andrew Maider, Andrew Bergen, and CJ Atkinson.
Special Thanks to Kathryn Ramey, Rob Todd, Cass Marks, and Steve Baldwin at National Boston. No thanks to CineLab, because they suck.
YoYoNews is proud to give you your first look at the The Summit, a video documentary chronicling the 4-day crunch session that saw CLYW and One Drop create, test, and produce their fantastic collaborative design, the Summit yoyo.
Featuring Jensen Kimmitt, Charles Haycock, Paul Dang, Zach Gormley, Andy Daugherty, Shawn Nelson, David Metz, JT Nickel, Chris Mikulin, Jordan Hacherl, and Evan Evans, with music by Chase Hadden.
Don’t forget you still have a chance to win a Summit v.1 Prototype, exclusively here at YoYoNews.com. Click through for details! And if you don’t win, you can still pick up a production Summit at YoYoExpert.com at midnight, April 5th!
“Langley Did It” is an enigmatically-named new documentary about the European yoyo scene that is due to be released at the end of 2013. From their website:
A group of devotees with only one true passion, this is the European yoyo scene. All across Europe hundreds of people have something in common; a boundless enthusiasm for a thing on a string.
Who are these people, what drives them, and what makes the European yoyo scene unique?
Langley Did It is an exploration of the hidden world of European yoyo. This documentary provides insights into the scene, its appeal, to what sets it apart and what makes it binding.
The yoyo players themselves explain why they are part of this European scene. A group of people spread across the continent all sharing one passion. Who and where are they? What are they doing and most importantly, why?
Langley Did It, takes you into the hidden world of the European yo-yo underground.