This week Robert Requejo Ramos' documentary South Beach Shark Club, the feature length follow up to his 2017 short film, is playing at DOC NYC.
In the early 1970's on the shores of sleepy Miami Beach, a group of teenage outcasts are ushered into adulthood by the enigmatic Rene De Dios, the self proclaimed "greatest shark fisherman in the world"
We have a mildly hallucinagenic promo clip to share with you this morning, a short flury of overlapping archival and interview footage. Along with it come an exclusive selection of images.
Before Miami's South Beach became a glamorous party hub, a group of local outcasts in the club one-upped each other in an ongoing quest for the next big catch. Starting as reckless teens, Rene de Dios, JD "Jimbo" Hammer, and Shannon "Seaweed Jr." Bustamante paddle into the deep ocean, with bloody bait in tow, to lure the ultimate prey: shark. With a lifetime of exploring Florida's shores behind them, these colorful rogues guide a new generation into the world of sustainable sport fishing. – Courtesy Brandon Harrison, DOC NYCAn absolute maelstrom of energy will pull viewers in as they watch the exhilarating documentary feature, SOUTH BEACH SHARK CLUB.Locked and loaded with an intoxicating mix of colorful characters, unmatched archival footage, and thrilling shark fishing footage on par with anything shark week has to offer viewers.But at the heart of this beautifully directed and edited film from Robert Requejo Ramos is a powerful never-before-told story of a bygone era on Miami Beach. A time and place inhabited by surfers and skaters, a diverse culture of young Cuban immigrants, a vibrant Jewish population, and other communities that form a unique mosaic exclusive to the region.Garnering critical and audience praise, the World premiere of SOUTH BEACH SHARK CLUB was screened to sold-out audiences at the 2022 Miami International Film Festival, where it received the Documentary Achievement Award.Now, SOUTH BEACH SHARK CLUB is set to sink its teeth into ravenous documentary audiences at the prestigious DOC NYC, the United States'most important documentary film festival. The film will make its New York premiere on Sunday, November 13th at 1:30 pm at the Cinepolis Chelsea Cinemas, with director Robert Requejo Ramos and producer Pedro Gomez in attendance.