Rollin' Through the Decades

A DOCUMENTARY FEATURE ON UK SKATEBOARDING Rollin' Through the Decades encapsulates the positive atmosphere of skateboarding and shows a true picture of its influence on our time. The film features interviews with over 100 inspirational and legendary skateboarders, photographers and film-makers. It blends historic, rare and unseen footage, videos,... More »

A DOCUMENTARY FEATURE ON UK SKATEBOARDING
Rollin' Through the Decades encapsulates the positive atmosphere of skateboarding and shows a true picture of its influence on our time.

The film features interviews with over 100 inspirational and legendary skateboarders, photographers and film-makers. It blends historic, rare and unseen footage, videos, and photos with nostalgic sounds of the 70’s80's and 90's, and contemporary music made especially for the film.

A TURBULENT JOURNEY FROM THE 70'S TIL NOW
Around 1979 sees the end of the initial skateboarding wave. In UK, Rolling Thunder, the only indoor skate park, has just shut its doors. By 1983, the English Skateboard Association began to group together what was left of
the UK's skateboarding scene, at this time kept alive only by a handful
of diehards.

A small revival occurred in 1985 due to its association with films such as "Back To The Future" and other influences from America. This wave began to gain international exposure and spawned the opening of new skate parks. Yet once more during the 90's, due to lack of organization and falling revenues, skate parks closed, magazines folded and people lost interest. Attitudes within skater culture had become less communal. Skateboarding went back underground.

Across the Atlantic, commercial momentum was steadily building through the late 90's, exemplified by televised events such as 'The X-Games' and the ubiquitous 'Tony Hawk Pro Skater' Playstation video game. Skateboarding had come back with a vengeance. Today, skateboarding has come full circle and is returning to its roots, so that negative trendy attitudes give way to an 'anything is cool' atmosphere, like in its earliest days.

WHERE DO WE GO FROM HERE?
Money is no longer a problem, but the dangers of history repeating itself through poorly managed organizations and facilities are still apparent. Skateboarders need to be heard in the Greater London Authority, perhaps represented by a panel of people who understand the issues, so that skaters don't lose out as they have in the past.

THE RISE TO ACCEPTANCE
After the first boom of the 70's, skateboarding had been ignored by society, leaving it to small groups of passionate diehards to keep skating alive. Today, skateboarding's legacy is now consumed every day by the corporate non-skating world, in music, TV, fashion, design and advertising, yet skaters themselves feel left out, ironically victims of their own success.

A COMMUNITY OF INDIVIDUALS
It takes a certain type of person to be a skateboarder, but it was never an exclusive activity. It is one of the few scenes in the UK that could bring together individuals from all walks of life in a positive manner. It serves as a platform of expression and creates an atmosphere that pushes the evolution of skateboarding. It constantly reinvents itself, affects artistic and cultural communities open to it, such as Hip Hop, Rock music and has a massive influence on youth culture.

LONDON
Rollin' Through the Decades celebrates skateboarding's journey from London's South Bank underneath the Queen Elizabeth Hall, spiritual home of skateboarding since the early seventies, via the multi-million dollar industry it is today, to a vision of a future where skateboarders would benefit from their own legacy, without struggle against ignorance. The future of skateboarding at South Bank is continually under threat, and may soon be gone for good. What is to become of the congregation that brought life to the greyness?
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