Sayonara Speed Tribes Film Explores Bosozoku
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
Just about everybody in America knows about the Hells Angels. Relatively few know about the Japanese biker gangs, the Bosozoku. But we’ve gotten wind from Zack and Scott at
One World Studios about a compelling documentary on the Japanese Bosozoku called
Sayonara Speed Tribes. The guys have produced motorcycle-related videos like
The Harbortown Bobber and
Choppertown: The Sinners and have now partnered with Figure 8 Productions to release this new documentary shot by filmmaker Jamie Morris, who “spent several years collecting the footage and putting this film together and we promise it's not like anything else you've seen.”
“You haven't seen a film that captures the universal biker spirit like this one,” claims Zack and Scott.
I’ve seen the trailer and can’t wait to watch the entire thing. The DVD is now for sale at their online
Choppertown store for $24.95. The guys also provided a little more info about the film below.
Since the late 1970s, Bosozoku biker gangs have cruised Japan's streets and battled rival gangs on thunderous, customized bikes. Infamous for their kamikaze-style flight suits, their use of nationalist imagery and their customized motorcycles, these young bikers form a distinctive sub-culture in one of the most conformist societies in the world, earning them a place as public enemy number one.
"Sayonara Speed Tribes" is the story of Hazuki, the legendary leader of the infamous Specter gang that ruled much of Tokyo in the 1990s. Now retired, with few options outside the criminal underworld, he clings to the Bosozoku tradition and mentors a fresh crop of less-than-enthusiastic gangsters. Hazuki's journey, set against the backdrop of the Bosozoku's final days, offers viewers a unique insight into a colorful but little-known and fading sub-culture of Japan. The documentary explores Bosozoku tradition and history by combing striking footage of bike runs with interviews of police, academics and the Bosozoku themselves.
Hazuki's story is a haunting reminder that, for some us, the best days are quite possibly in the past.
Post Tags: One World Studios, Sayonara Speed Tribes, Bosozoku documentary, Japanese Bosozoku
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