NEW "FAST FIVE" SLAMMED BY STREET RACING DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKERS
This article is from our archives and has not been updated and integrated with our "new" site yet... Even so, it's still awesome - so keep reading!
Published on Tue, May 3, 2011
By: The LACar Editorial Staff
HOT WIRE—(PRWEB) After nearly a decade of research on the underground subculture of street racing, filmmakers Dominic Pena and Matt Goff recently released the only feature length documentary video on Street Racing - "1320 A West Coast Story." The filmmakers examine the effects of Universal Picture's "Fast and Furious" franchise, concluding that these Street Racing movies directly contribute to a rise in street racing related activity, which can and has resulted in street racing fatalities. "It's a no-brainer that we didn't have any street racing deaths before the movie." - Capt. Greg Meyer, LAPD The above was a quote that the LA Times printed around the time that the second Fast and Furious film, "2 Fast 2 Furious" came out in 2003. "We discussed the role the Fast and Furious movies became in acting as an instigator for street racing with varying law enforcement agencies throughout California. We spoke to Police Departments, Sheriffs Departments, and even the California Highway Patrol. The one thing that they all agreed upon was that there was a direct correlation between the opening of a Fast and Furious movie, and an increase in street racing activity," said Dominic Pena, director of the Street Racing Documentary "1320 A West Coast Story." "We both called and sent emails via their (Universal Pictures) website, and it was as if we were invisible to them. All we wanted to do was talk with them about this phenomenon, and by them not responding to us, we knew we were on to something," Dominic added. "There have been numerous attempts to explain how street racing activity develops, and a recurring theme that we encountered over the course of the 9 year project was that whenever a Fast and Furious film would come out, street racing activity would spike. To us, it became empirically evident that there was a direct correlation between the release of a Fast and Furious movie, and the subsequent rise in street racing activity," said Matt Goff, the film's Producer. "It wouldn't be fair to completely blame this film franchise for the huge spike in street racing over the last decade, however, without a doubt, it was one of the major instigators. Ask any law enforcement agency across the country, and they will tell you: "Fast and Furious movies increase street racing activity," added Dominic Pena. "You can't find much research on the subject of illegal street racing. We hope our film will not only bring entertainment value, but also, and more importantly, an educational experience to the viewer. This is an excellent educational piece for the kids. Don't get us wrong, we think the Fast and Furious movies are very entertaining. The problem is that they glamorize the illegal activity. Previously nothing existed to show the other side - the reality of street racing. We are attempting to offset the Hollywood glamorization with factual documentation of real world occurrences," said Dominic Pena. "Our film is a non-narrative. Since we rely on the interviewees to do the talking, we feel we have created the most powerful piece of non-biased media to ever cover the subject of street racing. The movie features many prominent voices in the automotive industry including: real street racers, drag racers, law enforcement, magazine editors, the Founder of the NHRA Waly Parks, and many more," said Matt Goff. "For the parents out there, we would recommend that if you let your children watch these street racing movies, that you also show them the other side of the coin; show them the car accidents, the injuries and the loss of life that can occur if you participate in these illegal events," said Dominic Pena. "1320 A West Coast Story" is 95 minutes long, and can be found on Amazon and Netflix.