Remember a few years ago when Starbucks decided to get into the film distribution business by releasing Akeelah and the Bee? It was a cute little film, nothing particularly new or innovative though it did have a great performance from Keke Palmer, a young actress that showed potential but has wrapped herself up in a number of boring and uninspired films. The film more than made back its budget but for one reason or another, I never heard of Starbucks releasing any more films. Apparently, the folks at Nike are smarter than those at Starbucks and they’re hoping to shell in on an upcoming documentary that fits nicely into their sure-fire marketing.

It’s not that I hate Nike, I’m just not a huge fan of the massive company. That said, they do put a load of money into advertising and it shows with commercials designed for specific markets and cultures (my favourites are the football commercials shown in South America and Europe during previous Euro and World Cup championships). So for a company so keenly aware of their markets and with a knack for niche marketing, what better way to gain street cred than by supporting a documentary about street artists? What does this say about documentaries and where distribution of these films is today?

I have to side with Karina over at Spout on this one: on the one hand it’s great to see a big corporation stand behind and support a small, indie documentary and on the other, it irks me that we have Nike, one of the holy mothers of mass production and consumerism rallying behind a film all about do-it-yourself, small time, individualistic work. Talk about opposites.

According to the film’s website, “Beautiful Losers focuses on the telling of personal stories. It speaks to themes of what happens when the outside becomes “in” as it explores the creative ethos connecting these artists and today’s youth.” See what I mean about opposite ends? The film itself appears to be against everything Nike promotes…but I digress.

The film includes interviews with a number of celebrated artists, all part of the Do-It-Yourself Art Movement (I didn’t know there was such a thing though its roots are outlined in this wiki entry), which took off in the 90′s. The trailer doesn’t say much other than the fact that these folks were doing their own thing when the art world came knocking. I’m curious, mostly because I’ve always been fascinated with street culture and urban art but I must admit I’m a bit miffed that some of my money will be going back to the Nike folks.

Beautiful Losers has already opened in NY and it opens in LA on August 29th. The film seems to be slowly making its way through the art house circuit so you may want to keep your eyes peeled for it. Aside from the marketing/distribution thing, it actually looks pretty interesting.

Trailer it tucked under the seat!

And kudos to whomever put this up on Vimeo. Much better quality than YouTube.