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Fans of films, sports, underdogs, or women in general will want to check listings at derbybabythefilm.com/showtimes.php for upcoming screenings of Derby, Baby!, a documentary film about girl-power, sacrifice, and the fastest-growing international women’s sport you’ve never heard of.
“We’re having a blitz of screenings around the world,” said co-Director Dave Wruck. “In the past ten weeks, our film has been shown throughout the U.S., Canada, New Zealand, Australia, England, Ireland, Scotland, Wales, Norway and Sweden.” And there are still dozens more to go, including more in the United Kingdom, where Wruck will make an appearance and provide Q & A. When this current distribution campaign is completed, Derby, Baby! will have shown in almost 200 cities around the world, from North Pole, Alaska, to Napier, New Zealand.
“This isn’t just a film, it’s an event,” says Wruck. Narrated by actress-musician Juliette Lewis, the feature-length documentary tackles themes like women’s empowerment, self-reliance and ‘a league of their own, ’ all set against the backdrop of the burgeoning international women’s roller derby movement. “There are sure to be girls on skates, and we promise you will laugh at least five times. Chances are, you’ll see people in the audience who are also in the film.” The filmmakers shot Derby, Baby! throughout the U.S., Canada and Europe. The first-ever Roller Derby World Cup in Toronto last year enabled the filmmakers to also include leagues and skaters from South America and Down Under.
The movie screenings are being hosted by roller derby leagues, non-profit groups and individuals around the world, thanks to a crowd-funding campaign held by the filmmakers on kickstarter.com. Kickstarter is a site that helps filmmakers and other artists fund their projects. This campaign for Derby, Baby! was a little different than most,” said co-Director Robin Bond. “A lot of filmmakers use crowd funding sites like Kickstarter to fund production, and then they seek distribution through the film festival circuit. We sort of turned this model on its head by getting the film produced ourselves, then turning to the fans - who in this case were also the film’s subject - to help us get the film out to the world.”
Bond, Wruck, and producer Ron Patrick developed a Kickstarter campaign in which the screenings rights were also rewards for backers at various pledge levels. One of the goals: to “give” the finished film to individuals, derby leagues and women’s groups - for a small fee - rather than place it into the hands of a company who could provide theatrical distribution. Individuals, groups and derby leagues around the world then set up their own movie events around the globe. “This may sound risky until you realize that in two years the sports has grown from about 500 leagues worldwide to more than 1300 and counting,” says Bond. “Once the individuals and roller derby skaters around the world realized that they could hold screenings of the film in their own hometowns, they pledged in exchange for screenings rights for 1-night, 2-night, or 4-night screenings in their hometowns around the globe.”
Bond and Wruck self-funded most of the two-plus year production phase with some financial help from sponsors like Riedell Skates and start-up gaming company Jammer Up. “We knew early on that this film would have an international fan base, made up mostly of women who were used to putting on large-scale events -- their own roller derby bouts -- and were very successful in getting ‘butts in seats, ’ “ said Wruck. “This movie became another event for them to market -- an event that would also help them promote the sport of roller derby in their own communities.” To make the film screenings a win-win for both the filmmakers and for the fans who were awaiting the film’s release, the filmmakers were relatively modest in setting their Kickstarter goal. “Thriftiness and self-sufficiency are characteristic of the roller derby culture,“ said Bond. “So we decided to ask for $30,000 in our Kickstarter campaign.” By the end of the 30-day campaign, they had raised $80,000.
Upcoming Screenings Around the World
The venues for screenings around the globe have included major first-run theaters, a university, a winery, a whiskey distillery, fairgrounds, a giant pool, and even an old-fashioned drive-in theater. Some screenings have roller derby exhibitions or derby “boot camps” associated with them. As always, keep checking derbybabythefilm.com/showtimes.php for updated showtimes.
About Derby, Baby!
What drives tens of thousands of women around the globe to don fishnets, assign pseudonyms, and request the privilege of kicking each other's asses? In the new feature-length documentary Derby, Baby!, Emmy Award-winning filmmakers Robin
Bond and Dave Wruck take viewers with them on their international quest to learn why women's flat track roller derby is the fastest growing sport in the world.
Narrated by Whip It star Juliette Lewis, Derby, Baby! explores the drama, the friendships, and the addictive nature of women’s roller derby. Along the way, the film reveals the sport at its most turbulent time since its inception 77 years ago, and finds derby’s growing foothold in mainstream consciousness going head to head with the DIY culture and empowerment that currently defines the sport.
For certain, the lure of community and self-propriety is at the core of today’s roller derby movement. But on the track, athleticism and competition reign. All the while, fans of the sport are multiplying. And now, women’s roller derby today finds itself at a tipping point. Can derby’s unique culture co-exist with the capitalism of mainstream sports? What does the future of women’s roller derby look like?
Derby, Baby! isn’t just a film about roller derby - it’s a fascinating look into the world of competitive sports as run by women, and attentively examines this singularity as the sport adapts to its changing landscape.
“This fascinating historical review of this fringe sport of women’s derby seems more like a woman’s empowerment movement than a sports league.”- Purepolitics.com/.
“More than women in fishnets beating each other up on roller skates. It is about respect, camaraderie and sportsmanship.” – ArtBLT.com/.
“An enjoyable and fascinating look at a fast-growing, female-led, player controlled sport that will interest fans and newbies alike.” - letterboxd.com/.
“When my father invented Roller Derby he hoped -but never dreamed- that it would be what it is today...This honest look captures the game and participants today.....It brought tears of happiness to my eyes....Love this film!” - Gerald E. Seltzer
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