Acting
African-American documentary filmmaker Marlon Riggs was working on this final film as he died from AIDS-related complications in 1994; he addresses the camera from his hospital bed in several scenes. The film directly addresses sexism and homophobia within the black community, with snippets of misogynistic and anti-gay slurs from popular hip-hop songs juxtaposed with interviews with African-American intellectuals and political theorists, including Cornel West, bell hooks and Angela Davis.
A truly iconic video based on the Mr. Olympia contest from 1984. Every single one of the competitors was a star in their own right. ‘Road to Olympia’ 1984 was a classic release at the time. It was the forerunner of the later Battle for the Olympia series. In this video the camera follows in particular Tom Platz, Chris Dickerson, Franco Columbu, Samir Bannout, Al Beckles and the eventual winner – Lee Haney. You also see a very beautiful Rachel McLish. This video is now a classic slice of bodybuilding history.
The Challengers is a bodybuilding documentary that chronicles the athletes' preparation for the 1984 and 1985 Mr. Olympia competitions. The film features rare behind-the-scenes footage with some of the sport's top legends sharing their training and vision of the sport. It offers an authentic insight on what has been retrospectively called the Golden Era of bodybuilding.
A look into the training, dieting, and drugs from sunny Venice, CA to the Mr. Olympia contest.
