by K Beck

Lions Gate Films has acquired worldwide rights to David LaChapelle's first feature documentary "Rize", a film about the emergence of an urban dance movement from Los Angeles that took Sundance by storm this weekend in Park City.

“A dynamic combination of music and dance, 'Rize' brings a heretofore unknown culture to the screen,” said Tom Ortenberg, Lions Gate Films Releasing president, in a statement. “We were dazzled by its beauty and energy and look forward to introducing 'Rize' to audiences around the world.”

Long time festival attendee, renowned fashion photographer, music video director, and now feature documentary filmmaker La Chapelle premiered his riotous and uplifting new film on Friday at the Library in Park City, with 11 of the featured dancers from the film in attendance, all watching the movie for the first time. Their hoots, hollahs and shout outs were infectious for the receptive audience that gave the film and its subjects a standing ovation; they were rewarded with a lengthy Q & A that included a live singing of "Amazing Grace."

[Photographer/Director David LaChapelle chatted with friends and fans outside the Library in Park City over the weekend prior to a screening of his krumping clowning dance doc set in South Central L.A., "Rize." The word is that it's pretty damn good too. Photo by Brian Brooks/indieWIRE]

"Rize," documents an evolving style of dance and exceptionally positive youth movement, rooted in South Central Los Angeles. Prefaced with a disclaimer that none of the dance footage has been sped up, "Rize‚" uses no voice over narration, opting instead to let the dancers and community speak for themselves. Juxtaposed with this are stunningly shot dance sequences, including stylized music video segments, a championship battle, and much dancing in the streets of South Central LA.

LaChapelle, in his 7th year of attending Sundance, came to the festival last year with the short "Krumped," a mini-version of the feature film, using the opportunity to gauge audience reactions and interest in the origins of Clown dancing, pioneered by 'ghetto celebrity' Tommy the Clown. Embraces by the urban youth culture, Clown dancing has morphed into various forms of sub groups dominated by the Clown and Krump dancers captured in the film.

What seems to resonate most within LaChapelle, the dancers, and "Rize" the film, is the overwhelming energy of positivity. While the dancing style is aggressive, rapid, suggestive and almost violent it materializes in hope and optimism. This sits deeply with LaChapelle, who shows deep affection for the dancers and the community that invited him in. Talking with indieWIRE earlier this week, it was clear that his affection for the community and the project also fueled his own plans for finding a distributor.

With multiple buyers interested at the time of the interview, LaChapelle, who financed the film added, "I don't believe this film is for a niche audience, it is a crossover film, and the distributor that feels the same way will leave the festival with it."

“I am thrilled," LaChapelle said Monday in a statement. "After much thought and consideration, Lions Gate is my first choice to distribute and be a home for my film 'Rize'. I would also like to thank all of the companies I met with for their understanding, enthusiasm and passion that they showed for 'Rize'.”

Introducing the film at the Library on Friday, Sundance programmer Shari Frilot noted that she couldn't think of another relevant film about urban dance culture, that is since Jennie Livingston's acclaimed "Paris Is Burning‚" winner of the documentary Grand Jury Prize at Sundance back in 1991. Interesting parallels between the two films include the striking similarities in family groups that are formed by peers and headed by a mother or father figure, often absent from the individuals home lives. While the Harlem ball dancers typically perform in various forms of drag with costume and makeup in "Paris is Burning," the Krump and Clown dancers in "Rize" incorporate face painting and clothing that draws from pop culture as well as life in the hood.

Most striking and noticeable are the elements of performance and dance as an outlet of expression in both films, created within the respective communities as a product of, and reaction to, disparity. Asked about his own thoughts in the similarities between the two films, LaChapelle was contemplative, noting, "I love that film, and I do see similarities, it would make a good double feature," he added, "For these kids, this is their form of storytelling, this is their way of sharing their art. This is what art is, and when I saw this I knew that I had to document it. I saw this dance and went out and bought a camera the next day."

In a festival, and world, that seems to be dominated by dark themes, LaChapelle is not only indebted to the youth of South Central Los Angeles, but also committed to bringing the message of everyone's innate ability to 'Rize'.

[Eugene Hernandez contributed to this article.]