Last April 24th we told you about a Kickstarter campaign by a 22 year old student attending Rhode Island School of Design (RISD) who was raising funds to make a film about the early days of Shepard Fairey. We always are supporting artists who are following their dream, and Julian Marshall seemed to have the hunger and talent needed to tell the story about this other RISD student and his personal take on art in the streets approximately two decades earlier.
Screenshot from Obey The Giant, the new film released today by director Julian Marshall (© Julian Marshall)
“One morning I was sitting in my bedroom brainstorming story ideas for my RISD thesis film,” he explained on his Kickstarter page, “and staring me in the face was the Andre The Giant poster that Shepard Fairey had given to me when I worked for him three years ago. It was then that creativity struck. I thought to myself, wouldn’t it be wonderful to tell the story of the conception of Shepard’s OBEY GIANT street art campaign from when he attended RISD in the early 90’s?”
Screenshot from Obey The Giant, the new film released today by director Julian Marshall (© Julian Marshall)
Happily, we can report that Julian raised more than twice the amount he had initially sought and today April 15, 2013, his film Obey The Giant is being released.
Directed by NYC’s Marshall, the film is a narrative biopic about the early life of well known Street Artist Shepard Fairey and the origins of his OBEY GIANT street art campaign. Based on the true story of Fairey’s first act of street art, Obey The Giant tells the story of the young skate punk challenging a big-city mayor, screen-printing his own stickers, and pulling a high-profile wheat-pasting stunt that got him fame and into a lot of hot water.
Screenshot from Obey The Giant, the new film released today by director Julian Marshall (© Julian Marshall)
Congratulations to Julian and all the crew and backers for completing their auspicious goal.
CAST:
- Josh Wills – Shepard Fairey
- Keith Jochim – Buddy Cianci
- Patrick Collins – Dean Carter
- Tom O’Neill – Jonah
- Elizabeth Roberge – Ella
- Tommy Dickie – Lee Dover
- Daryl Laperle – George
- Alexander Remington – Buddy Cianci’s Driver
- Sarah Cote – Jessica
- Mark O’Leary – Father
- Max Derderian – Son
- Frank Vollero – Ray
Still photography by: Philip Scott Andrews
For more about Obey The Giant, please click this link: obeythegiantmovie.com