Vans And Sony Classics Set Distribution Deal For "Dogtown And Z-Boys"

SANTA FE SPRINGS, CA - Vans Inc. today announced that its award-winning nonfiction feature film "Dogtown and Z-Boys," directed by Stacy Peralta and narrated by Sean Penn, has been acquired by Sony Pictures Classics for distribution in North American and English-speaking territories.
"We are truly excited to be working with industry pros like Michael Barker, Tom Bernard and Marcie Bloom in marketing and releasing this film," says Gary H. Schoenfeld, president and chief executive officer at Vans. "The Sony Classics team has a great track record of connecting a film with an audience, and as evidenced by their success from `Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon,' we look forward to a great relationship."
"We are both thrilled to be in business with Vans," comments Sony Pictures Classics' co-presidents Tom Bernard and Michael Barker. "This partnership looks to be very successful, and we look forward to working together for many years to come."
Winner of the 2001 Sundance Film Festival's Audience Award and Best Director Award, both in the Documentary category, "Dogtown and Z-Boys" chronicles the overnight impact of the Zephyr Team (Z-Boys) on skateboarding in the early `70s, and the eventual collapse of the team later in the same decade, as the individual team members split off and went their own way.
The film has been fully funded by Vans, a Southern California-based Core Sports shoe and apparel company with roots back to and before the Dogtown days in Venice Beach, CA.
"Dogtown and Z-Boys," directed and co-written by skateboarding-legend-turned-filmmaker Stacy Peralta, is the story of accidental revolutionaries - gifted young skaters who inadvertently changed the world by doing what came naturally. These skaters are credited with being part of the genesis of the entire Core Sports or Action Sports movement that continues to grow today.
Narrated by Sean Penn, "Dogtown and Z-Boys" was directed by Peralta, written by Peralta and Craig Stecyk, produced by Agi Orsi and executive produced by Jay Wilson. The film is a Vans Off the Wall Production. The Endeavor Agency represented Vans in the deal with Sony Pictures Classics.