ACEFEST 2009

Skatopia is an Appalachian farm where hardcore skating, punk rock and hillbilly culture collide. Mad-Max style demolition derbies and spontaneous car burning accompany all night skate sessions. Pain is a badge of honor. Tony Hawk calls Skatopia a “rite of passage” for hardcore skaters.

Skatopia’s owner, Brewce Martin, grew up dodging the skateboard-hating cops of Parkersbug, WV. With his explosive energy, he knew he could never survive in a 9 to 5 world. He dreamed of a place where he could live and breathe skating… a place where people could forget their “outside” lives by plunging into high-energy craziness. In 1994, he bought 88 acres of land in rural Ohio. With a volunteer labor force of locals and underground skaters, he began building his dream. Skatopia was born.

Ten years later, Skatopia has become a mecca for skaters who want to live outside society’s rules. Brewce, the self-proclaimed dictator, presides over the mayhem like a modern-day Jim Jones. His secret weapon is a free labor force of itinerant skaters and local hillbillies. They come for the freedom and the skating and end up pitching in: doing laundry, picking up garbage and building new skate terrain. They may stay for hours or linger for months in shacks and abandoned cars.

But despite Skatopia’s infamy, Brewce must scramble non-stop to keep the farm solvent. Now turning 40, he is determined to create a monument to freedom and skateboarding that will outlast him.

As filming begins, Brewce has hatched a grand slew of plans to get out of debt and build crazy new skate terrain. His infectious optimism persists through the first set-backs of the year.

But the misfortunes pile on and the movie follows him as he staves off bill collectors, mobilizes his free labor force and struggles with his own rebellious son. Finally, his ambitious plans grind to a halt when he is sentenced to 60 days in jail.

Brewce frantically tries to direct his work crews from the jail phone, but progress on the farm slows to a crawl. “My totalitarian skills will be demonic,” he declares the day before he bursts out of jail. He returns to Skatopia bent on salvaging his income, his relationships and rest of the skating season.

The movie celebrates the freedom from everyday life that Skatopia offers, but it also takes a hard look at the flip side of Brewce’s energy and charisma. The audience won’t find a story-book hero – Brewce can switch from inspiring visionary to bullying cult-leader in seconds. But his fierce, unapologetic pursuit of his dream will inspire even those who have never touched a skateboard.