A Film by Dave Carroll and Ryan Scafuro Directed by Dave Carroll Produced by Ryan Scafuro 93 minutes English 2013 WORLD PREMIERE - 2013 TRIBECA FILM FESTIVAL INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE - 2013 HOT DOCS FILM FESTIVAL http://bendingsteelmovie.com @bendingsteelmov /bendingsteelmovie #bendingsteel PR CONTACT:BENDING David Magdael STEEL | A DavidFILM BY Magdael DAVE CARROLL & Associates & RYAN (213) SCAFURO 624-7827 | BENDINGSTEELMOVIE.COM [email protected] A Film by Dave Carroll and Ryan Scafuro 93 Minutes | English | 2013 www.bendingsteelmovie.com PRODUCTION COMPANY LOGLINE Ryan Scafuro An intimate documentary exploring the lost art of the oldetime strongman, and one man’s Bending Steel LLC struggle to overcome limitations of body and mind. (617) 566-8496 [email protected] SHORT SYNOPSIS Bending Steel is a moving documentary which follows Chris Schoeck, an endearing yet SALES CONTACT unassuming man as he trains to become a professional oldetime strongman. While Josh Braun preparing to perform incredible feats of strength publicly, Chris privately struggles to Submarine Entertainment overcome crippling fears and inhibitions. For the first time in his life he is compelled to (212) 625-1410 confront his own social awkwardness, unsupportive parents, and an overwhelming fear [email protected] of failure. What unfolds is one man’s inspirational quest to find his place in the world. PR CONTACT LONG SYNOPSIS David Magdael On a cold February day, a man walks along Coney Island’s boardwalk. He remembers David Magdael & Associates his last visit here as a boy and can’t help but feel the change in atmosphere. The air is (213) 624-7827 devoid of amusement; stores are locked up tight for winter, rides covered and still. [email protected] The frigid wind whipping off the Atlantic stings his face and the warm rays of sunlight are as distant as his memories. “It’s going to be a very different place in the summertime…” Bending Steel is a deeply moving and inspiring documentary from filmmakers Dave Carroll and Ryan Scafuro, exploring the life of 43 year-old Chris Schoeck, a Queens, NY native training to become a professional oldetime strongman. The story follows Chris’ journey from his early days training in his small basement storage unit to his very first performance on the big stage at New York’s historic Coney Island. Alongside his trainer Chris Rider, he meets living legends and heroes within the strongman community. As these characters come alive, a long forgotten time is revisited. The men perform feats that defy limitations of human strength and pain: twisting horseshoes and nails with their bare hands, breaking chains with their hair, and bending coins with their teeth. Chris is learning from the greats. His training is progressing at a remarkable pace... he is determined to become a professional WORLD PREMIERE strongman. But as the filmmakers follow Chris through his successes and failures, more is uncovered about this endearing yet introverted character. It soon becomes clear that Chris is not only searching for recognition and acceptance within this community, something he hopes will fill a growing void in his life. He is also facing crippling fears and insecurities, many of which are revealed for the first time as the cameras roll. A remarkable innocence is uncovered. The film bears witness to a tenacious man struggling to come out of his shell - to shed both physical and social limitations that have held him back his entire life - limitations that now threaten his dream of success. INTERNATIONAL PREMIERE What unfolds is a touching story of one man’s epic struggle for acceptance and fulfillment, two things which have always seemed just out of his reach. #bendingsteel DIRECTORS STATEMENT Looking back, it was unknown to me at the time when all this began. I didn’t just wake up one morning and decide to dedicate two and a half years of my life to following someone else’s. It just happened. As we filmed it became all encompassing. It was compelling and real and it got out of control and then back in control. I was connected to the story because in some way it was my story, just not my life. When I stumbled upon Chris he was at a breaking point and realized that somewhere along the way he had taken a wrong turn. He was not where he wanted to be and wasn’t growing as a person. We didn’t realize it then, but soon after our chance encounter he set in motion the mechanism to do something about it. Allowing us to document his journey gave him a reason to take a deep look at who he was and why he was there. Along the way we were introduced to a remarkable community of larger than life figures.At first their passion for bending steel was lost on us. We understood the history and tradition but the will to endure pain and hardship in order to overcome the molecular composition of steel was unimaginable. As time passed we began to witness the fruit of their labor. It wasn’t just the steel that they were reshaping, it was themselves. Dave Carroll, New York City, December 10th, 2012. PRODUCTION BIOS Dave Carroll (Director/Associate Producer) Dave Carroll has spent the majority of his life, either in front of or behind motion picture cameras. At a young age he earned his Screen Actors Guild card and was featured in commercial ads and movies. After taking a rebellious absence from the business, he returned to direct and shoot short films at the School of Visual Arts where he majored in cinematography. Dave has been working professionally ever since as a writer, director and cinematographer. He is the founder of Suspect Films, a production company based in New York City. “Bending Steel” is Dave’s first departure from fiction and his feature length directorial debut. Ryan Scafuro (Producer/Cinematographer) Ryan Scafuro is an award winning producer and cinematographer. Before moving from Boston to New York in 2006, he was director of photography for a group of social issue documentaries which won numerous Emmy and Edward R. Murrow awards. Among them are “Just Married” (2004) which explores the epic battle over gay marriage in Massachusetts, and “Hidden Wounds” (2005) a film about soldiers returning from the war in Iraq with Post-Traumatic Stress Syndrome. Since then he has traveled around the world as a photojournalist, cinematographer and filmmaker. He currently resides in Brooklyn, NY and works as a director of photography for a variety of clients. “Bending Steel” is his first feature length film. John Hoyt (Editor/Associate Producer) John Hoyt is a freelance editor and sound designer with previous stops at editorial shops Lost Planet and Three Fingered Louie. His work has appeared on the telecasts of the Super Bowl, World Series, and Olympic Games. His previous feature-length documentary, “Oh My God” (2009), was shot in 23 countries and explored the relationship between man and what man thinks god is, irrespective of religious or geographical boundaries. He currently lives in Los Angeles. Fernando Martinez (Composer/Musician) Fernando Martinez is a musician and composer residing in Brooklyn, New York. As a child, Fernando was enrolled in piano lessons to follow in his father’s footsteps as a trained and working pianist. These lessons were replaced with a fascination for the cello, and soon after, the upright and electric bass. Since those early years, Fernando has worked as a session and studio musician, bringing him to collaborating on his first soundtrack for the feature length romantic drama “A West Lake Moment”, a film by Hong Kong director Yim Ho in 2005. From then, he returned to recording and performing in various bands, including Novena, and most recently, the instrumental rock trio Monsters of Motocross. R. Hollis Smith (Sound Design/Mix) R. Hollis Smith is a Texas born, NYC-based Re-recording Engineer / Sound Editor Mixing Engineer / Sound Designer / Foley Artist for Film, TV & Radio. He began his audio career in the music industry at the legendary Electric Lady Studios (of Jimi Hendrix fame) working with many top level artists & producers of the day. He eventually left music for a calling in post production sound for entertainment & advertising, working on feature films, shorts & animated children’s programming. Kia Eshghi (Score Engineering/Mixing) Kia Eshghi is a New York native producer, engineer, songwriter and musician. He was born on Long Island where he was involved in the local hardcore scene. Kia toured internationally as a guitar player with Metal Blade recording artist Unearth for several years after high school. He then attended Berklee College of Music in Boston & The Conservatory of Recording Arts & Sciences in Tempe, AZ to hone his musicianship & production skills. He apprenticed under producer Bob Hoag (The Ataris, The Format, Dear & The Headlights) He later worked for two years alongside Henry Hirsch (Lenny Kravitz, Lionel Richie, Mick Jagger) at his Waterfront Studios. Kia now owns and operates Hanging Moon Recordings in the Greenpoint neighborhood of Brooklyn. Lance Herrington (Motion Graphics/Animation) Operating out of New York City, Lance Herrington is an animator and editor whose works have been exhibited at the Barcelona Museum of Contemporary Art, the Santozeum in Santorini, Greece, and the Princeton University Art Museum. He is currently the senior editor and producer for the Broadcast Center at Princeton University. Allan J. Ahearne (Legal Services) Allan J. Ahearne, Jr. is a civil litigator and transaction attorney with 30 years experience in entertainment and founder of The Ahearne Law Firm, PLLC. CHARACTER BIOS Chris “Wonder” Schoeck (Oldetime Strongman) Despite standing only 5’7 ” and weighing just shy of 155 pounds, Chris routinely performs mind-blowing feats of sheer strength.