February 23rd, 2010 by asia

The press is in on this one, and the verdict is…Winner! I can’t wait to check out Wholetrain. Hip-Hop is a rich culture filled with ethos, code of ethics, lineage and creed. Wholetrain’s storyline alludes to these aspects.
Charlie Ahern and Henry Chalfant are our Siskel and Ebert of Graffiti films, and they give it the spray finger up! So get some cans and a fatcap, do a throwup and go see this flick, director Florian Gaag, (Aero One) will be in the house! Oh and cop the soundtack too, for bangfactor!

View WHOLETRAIN trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8JVFpaUsIN0

“Florian Gaag has an excellent movie out. I am really proud to be part of that project. WHOLETRAIN is the dopest graffiti movie ever. I would put WHOLETRAIN next to the great movies, right up next to ‘Style Wars’… WHOLETRAIN really captured Hip Hop’s culture.” KRS ONE

With his fantastic cinema debut WHOLETRAIN Florian Gaag tells the story of a crew of four “writers” – David, Tino, Elyas and Achim – who observe the hierarchies, the values, the rules and the codes of the graffiti scene. Night after night they make off for the subway stations of the city, intent on leaving opulent images behind. But as another crew appears on the scene, and the four feel challenged, a creative battle ensues, one that will change the lives of these young people for ever. We are confronted with life taken to the limit. Constantly on the edge of legality. Always on the run from the law. Urban space must be reclaimed. Friends are made and lost. Unbridled creativity and doing things for the sheer love of it are watchwords too.

WHOLETRAIN is an exciting and emotionally gripping drama, one that explores for the first time the secret universe of the graffiti scene. The protagonists exist in a breathless state, suspended somewhere between two worlds: their day to day life, and their existence within the crew. Florian Gaag manages to recount a tale colored by tension and aggression. The result is a many-sided portrait of characters whose world has never been documented in this way before. Their subculture remains authentic and realistic. Edgy editing and grandiloquent camerawork, a pulsating soundtrack and an excellent ensemble of actors, make WHOLETRAIN a film experience not to be missed.

Florian Gaag collaborated with internationally renowned graffiti artists. Writers such as NEON, WON, CEMNOZ, PURE and CIEL, who were responsible for the artwork in the film.
The WHOLETRAIN Soundtrack to be released on June, 2010 was produced by Florian Gaag aka AERO ONE who worked with legendary figures like Hip Hop greats KRS-One, O.C., Planet Asia, Afu-Ra, Grand Agent, Tame One, Akrobatik, REEF the Lost Cauze, Roger Rekless and El Da Sensei.

For more information, please visit www.wholetrain.com and www.myspace.com/wholetrain

View trailer: youtube.com/watch?v=8JVFpaUsIN0

PRESS: For review copies of the film WHOLETRAIN and the soundtrack,
contact Florian Gaag at info@wholetrain.com

WHOLETRAIN Screenings

FEB. 24 SAN FRANCISCO
6:30pm. Goethe-Institut 530 Bush St. San Francisco CA 94108. 415.263.8760 goethe.de Q & A: Director Florian Gaag

MARCH 1: LOS ANGELES
7pm. FREE! Goethe-Institut
5750 Wilshire Blvd. Suite 100
Los Angeles CA 323.525.3388
Q & A: Director: Florian Gaag

“I saw WHOLETRAIN at S.O.B.’s in NYC. It was a great experience watching it. There was a tremendous amount of character development, interesting dialogue and a lot of story in it. It took real vision to make that world come alive like that. WHOLETRAIN is an impressive piece of work. It´s the only Graffiti-Movie that can follow in the footsteps of Wild Style. – CHARLIE AHEARN, Wild Style

WHOLETRAIN shows the human dimensions of Graffiti-Writing. The social conflicts of the protagonists are fascinating and allow you to take a look at the writers´real lives. Real characters, real problems.
WHOLETRAIN is a very good film that not only reflects writing culture but also leaves room to authentically portray the writers´ social reality.”
- HENRY CHALFANT (Subway Art, Style Wars)

“I loved the movie…WHOLETRAIN represented the scene the best – ever. It really captured what writers go through and their struggles; they were humanized, they weren’t caricatures. I appreciate that. I remember that it made me feel that I was there with those guys, living with those guys. It took me back to a time when I was living the way those kids were living. I thought it was very authentic in that sense.” – KET

PRESS

“A gripping drama with an outstanding cast. The most authentic German movie in a long time.” – ROLLING STONE

“The film is as fast as a speeding subway train.” DIE WELT

“This film simply hits you in the face, and you can’t get it out of your eyes, your ears, and your senses.” – ULYSSES

“A febrile movie. A moving drama and homage to youth.” – SÜDDEUTSCHE ZEITUNG

“Florian Gaag has shot a small film about sprayers and made a huge portrait on the Ninjas of this subculture. An excellent cinematic debut.” – SPIEGEL ONLINE

“Even the minor roles were well cast in a film that managed to convince in every detail, great fun indeed.” – TAZ

“A grandiloquent love affair with the graffiti scene.” “A wild and uncompromising film.” “These characters are so real, real like we hardly ever see them in the cinema.” “A phenomenal debut.” EPD FILM

“Exact, sensitive and without cliches.” – BERLINER ZEITUNG

“A furious debut film, one that adapts the aesthetic of graffiti in a clever way and knows just how to capture it in cinematic terms.” ” Wholetrain, with its exact symbiosis of staccato editing, hiphop sound design and racy plot, remains one of the best films of the year.” – FILM-DIENST

AWARDS

Urban World Vibe Film Festival New York – Best Narrative Feature Film

Kiev International Film Festival Molodist – Best Feature Film & Audience Award

Cologne Conference – Best Feature Film

Starter Film Award – City of Munich

Sarajevo International Film Festival – Best Youth Film

Exground International Film Festival – Best Youth Film

Boston International Film Festival – Best Narrative Feature Film

HipHop Odyssey International Film Festival New York – Best Narrative Feature Film
Berlin International Film Festival – Special Mention “Dialogue En Perspective”

3 Grimme Awards: (Screenplay / Direction: Florian Gaag), Camera (Christian Rein), Editing: Kai Schröter)

Prenominations for the German Fim Awards in six categories: Best Film, Best Editing, Best Set Design, Best Score, Best Sound Design, Best Costume