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Rakontur
Company typeSubsidiary
IndustryMotion pictures
Founded2000 (original)
2013 (relaunch)
Founder
HeadquartersMiami, Florida, U.S.

rakontur is a Miami-based media studio founded by Billy Corben and Alfred Spellman in 2000.[1]

History

Rakontur's feature documentary debut, Raw Deal: A Question of Consent, premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in 2001, making Corben the youngest director to premiere in Sundance history.[2] Examining the alleged rape of an exotic dancer at a University of Florida fraternity house, the film utilized extensive clips from videotape footage of the alleged assault. Considered by critics to be “one of the most controversial films of the modern day” and “one of the most compelling pieces of non-fiction ever produced,” (Film Threat Magazine),[3] Raw Deal landed on the cover of New York Post [4] and has been seen all over the world.

Following that success Rakontur took on another Florida true-crime story, this one closer to home. The New York Times called Cocaine Cowboys, “a hyperventilating account of the blood-drenched Miami drug culture in the 1970s and 1980s.” [5] The non-fiction film chronicles how the cocaine trade built their hometown of Miami through firsthand accounts of some of the most successful smugglers of the era and the deadliest hitman of the cocaine wars.

Cocaine Cowboys was New York Magazine's Critic's Pick[6] when it premiered at the 2006 Tribeca Film Festival and, after a limited theatrical release, the movie became a worldwide phenomenon on DVD and the highest-rated documentary in the history of the Showtime cable network. The sequel, Cocaine Cowboys 2: Hustlin’ with the Godmother, was released in 2008.

The U, a feature documentary about the championship history of the University of Miami Hurricanes football program, produced by Rakontur for ESPN's 30 for 30 series, became the highest-rated[7] documentary in the network's 30-year history, when it debuted on December 12, 2009, following the Heisman Trophy presentation.

Rakontur debuted two new films in the first half of 2011. Square Grouper: The Godfathers of Ganja, examining the free-wheeling pot smuggling of South Florida in the 1970s, had its world premiere at the SXSW Film Festival in March, followed by a limited theatrical and DVD release by Magnolia Pictures.[8]

Rakontur released Broke, a documentary about former professional athletes who have squandered their wealth, at the 2012 Tribeca Film Festival.

In 2012, the company produced Dawg Fight, a brutal exposé on underground backyard MMA fighting in one of Miami's toughest neighborhoods.[9]


In 2007 and again in 2010, Rakontur was selected for the Realscreen Global 100,[10][11] “an annual list of the most exciting and influential production companies working in non-fiction film and television." That same year, Spellman and Corben were listed among of the 50 Most Influential People in Miami by The SunPost[12][non-primary source needed]. In December 2009, the Miami New Times declared Cocaine Cowboys #3 on its "Top Ten of the Decade: Miami in Pop Culture."[13]

Filmography

References

  1. ^ Farzad, Roben (August 28, 2008). "Rakontur Films' Marketing Strategy". Bloomberg Businessweek.
  2. ^ "Rakontur Films' Marketing Strategy". Bloomberg Businessweek. August 27, 2008. Archived from the original on July 12, 2012. Retrieved June 29, 2012.
  3. ^ "Review: Raw Deal: A Question of Consent". Film Threat Magazine.
  4. ^ "Rape, Lies and Videotape". New York Post.
  5. ^ Catsoulis, Jeannette (October 27, 2006). "Movie Review: Cocaine Cowboys — A Culture Built of Guns, Drugs and Blood". The New York Times.
  6. ^ "2006 Tribeca Scorecard". New York Magazine.
  7. ^ Levine, Stuart (2009-12-16). "'The U' sets docu record at ESPN". Variety.
  8. ^ "Square Grouper *Blog". Archived from the original on September 14, 2011. Retrieved October 12, 2011.
  9. ^ "Documentary on Miami-Dade County back yard boxing ring to premiere". WPLG. 2015-03-04. Retrieved 2021-04-07.
  10. ^ "2007 Global 100". Realscreen.
  11. ^ "2010 Global 100". Realscreen.
  12. ^ "50 Most Influential People in Miami". The Sun Post.
  13. ^ "Top Ten of the Decade: Miami in Pop Culture". Miami New Times.
  14. ^ "Raw Deal: A Question of Consent". Rotten Tomatoes.
  15. ^ McCarthy, Todd (February 6, 2001). "Raw Deal: A Question of Consent". Variety.
  16. ^ "Raw Deal: A Question of Consent". Film Threat. January 26, 2001.
  17. ^ Barker, Adam (January 27, 2002). "A question of consent". The Guardian.
  18. ^ "Cocaine Cowboys". Rotten Tomatoes.
  19. ^ Murray, Noel (October 26, 2006). "Cocaine Cowboys". AV Club.
  20. ^ Catsoulis, Jeannette (27 October 2006). "Cocaine Cowboys (2006) A Culture Built of Guns, Drugs and Blood". The New York Times. Retrieved 29 June 2012.
  21. ^ "Cocaine Cowboys". Film Threat. October 25, 2006.
  22. ^ Koehler, Robert (June 25, 2008). "Cocaine Cowboys II: Hustlin' With the Godmother". Variety.
  23. ^ Duran, Jose (July 29, 2008). "Cocaine Cowboys 2 Takes Its Cues From '90s West Coast Hood Flicks". Miami New Times.
  24. ^ Alvarado, Francisco (November 18, 2008). "Ego Trippin': Rakontur's Clubland Finally Hits the Web". Miami New Times.
  25. ^ Tobias, Scott (December 13, 2009). "30 For 30: "The U"". AV Club.
  26. ^ Levine, Stuart (December 16, 2009). "'The U' sets docu record at ESPN". Variety.
  27. ^ Deitsch, Richard (August 13, 2017). "Ranking the Best 30 for 30 Documentaries (So Far)". Sports Illustrated.
  28. ^ O'Hehir, Andrew (April 16, 2011). ""Square Grouper": A hilarious, tragic tale of Florida ganja". Salon.
  29. ^ "Square Grouper". Rotten Tomatoes.
  30. ^ Catsoulis, Jeannette (September 22, 2011). "Rise and Fall of a Nightclub Impresario". New York Times.
  31. ^ Weisberg, Sam (September 24, 2011). ""Limelight," the NYC club phenomenon that was". Screen Comment.
  32. ^ Tobias, Scott (October 2, 2012). "30 For 30: "Broke"". AV Club.
  33. ^ Martin, Vanessa (September 26, 2013). "Watch 'Collision Course,' Billy Corben's New ESPN '30 For 30' Short On The Murder Of Don Aronow (VIDEO)". HuffPost.
  34. ^ Williams, Brennan (February 25, 2014). "Steve Stoute Talks VH1 Docu-Series 'The Tanning Of America: One Nation Under Hip Hop'". HuffPost.
  35. ^ Kluger, Bryan (June 3, 2014). "Cocaine Cowboys Reloaded". High Def Digest.
  36. ^ Lowry, Brian (December 11, 2014). "TV Review: ESPN's 'The U Part 2'". Variety.
  37. ^ Rodriguez, Rene (March 6, 2015). "Dawg Fight". Miami Herald.
  38. ^ Valys, Phillip (March 10, 2015). "Billy Corben's 'Dawg Fight' steps into the ring". Sun-Sentinel.
  39. ^ Wilson, Chris (March 9, 2015). "Cocaine Cowboys Director Takes on Backyard Fighting". Maxim.
  40. ^ Rodriguez, Rene (March 6, 2015). "'Dawg Fight'". Miami Herald.
  41. ^ Montgomery, James (May 15, 2015). "'Dawg Fight' Director Pulls No Punches With His Brutal New Film". Rolling Stone.
  42. ^ "Watch Miami Beach 100". rakontur.
  43. ^ "New 'Magic City Hustle' Documentary Brings Jai Alai Back To Life". WLRN. March 1, 2019.
  44. ^ Rosenthal, Phil (April 1, 2019). "The gang that couldn't shoot up straight: 'Screwball' a comic take on A-Rod's PED scandal". Chicago Tribune.
  45. ^ Tallerico, Brian (March 29, 2019). "Screwball". RogerEbert.com.
  46. ^ Gay, Jason (March 28, 2019). "How A-Rod Explains Modern America". Wall Street Journal.
  47. ^ Schager, Nick (March 23, 2019). "'Screwball': Inside the Damning Steroid Movie Alex Rodriguez Doesn't Want You to See". The Daily Beast.
  48. ^ Mullen, Pat (September 15, 2018). "TIFF Review: 'Screwball'". POV.
  49. ^ Mancini, Vince (March 28, 2019). "'Screwball' Is Another Masterpiece Of Insane Floridiana From Filmmaker Billy Corben". Uproxx.
  50. ^ Rechtshaffen, Michael (March 28, 2019). "Review: Alex Rodriguez and the 2013 MLB doping scandal get the doc treatment in 'Screwball'". Los Angeles Times.
  51. ^ Abele, Robert (March 26, 2019). "'Screwball' Film Review: Billy Corben's Baseball Doping Doc Is Disreputable Fun". The Wrap.
  52. ^ McNear, Claire (April 5, 2019). "'Screwball' Is the Bizarro Documentary A-Rod and the Biogenesis Scandal Deserve". The Ringer.
  53. ^ "Screwball". Rotten Tomatoes.
  54. ^ Roeper, Richard (October 20, 2020). "'537 Votes': How the Supreme Court and irate people in Miami picked a president". Chicago Sun-Times.
  55. ^ Kroll, Andy (October 22, 2020). "Remember Bush v. Gore — or Be Doomed to Repeat It". Rolling Stone.
  56. ^ Williams, Trey (September 18, 2020). "HBO to Debut 2000 Presidential Election Doc '537 Votes' on Oct. 21". The Wrap.
  57. ^ Cohen, Howard (September 18, 2020). "New HBO documentary by Miami filmmakers revisits 2000 election as a 'heist' film". Miami Herald.
  58. ^ "537 Votes". Rotten Tomatoes.
  59. ^ Mancini, Vince (October 21, 2020). "Miami Screwed The World In 2000: '537 Votes' Caps Off Billy Corben's Career Documenting 'Florida F*ckery'". Uproxx.
  60. ^ Lowry, Brian (October 21, 2020). "'537 Votes' revisits Florida election chaos in 2000 as a prelude to 2020". CNN.
  61. ^ "A&E and WWE Give Fans the Ultimate Ringside Seat in New 10-Week Original Programming Partnership Starting Sunday, April 18". The Futon Critic. February 23, 2021.
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