Stacy Peralta (USA)
The film Dogtown and Z-Boys, directed by skateboarder Stacy Peralta, investigates the evolution of skateboarding from surfing, but concentrates on the achievements of the West L.A.-based "Zephyr" team to which he belonged. Peralta's film has a standard format, employing the narration, archival footage and latter-day interviews we expect from talking-head documentaries. Fast editing and colourful flourishes mark an attempt to punch things up, but only succeed in making the film seem slightly busy. That said, Dogtown and Z-Boys is thrilling primarily because of the talents of the Zephyr group and the warmth the film exudes due to Peralta's obvious emotional connection to his subject. Having been raised in a poor part of Santa Monica that was paved over in a fit of disastrous urban design, the Zephyr kids are shown to have made the best possible use of their unnatural surroundings and the results are breathtaking to watch. - N.A.

(Sun., Sept. 9, 12 a.m., Uptown 1; Mon., Sept. 10, 3:30 p.m., Varsity 1)