 | This article needs to be updated.(June 2014) |
| Company type | Subsidiary |
|---|---|
| Industry | Motion pictures |
| Founded | 2000 (original) 2013 (relaunch) |
| Founder | |
| Headquarters | Miami, Florida, U.S. |
rakontur is a Miami-based media studio founded by Billy Corben and Alfred Spellman in 2000. [1]
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]
American Blackout (2006) is a documentary film directed by Ian Inaba. It premiered at the 2006 Sundance Film Festival. The film chronicles the 2002 defeat, and 2004 reelection, of Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney to the U.S. House of Representatives; it also discusses issues surrounding alleged voter disenfranchisement and the use of voting machines in both the 2000 and 2004 presidential elections.
The U is a 2009 documentary film about the University of Miami's football program produced by Miami-based media studio Rakontur and directed by Billy Corben.
Cocaine Cowboys is a 2006 documentary film directed by Billy Corben, and produced by Alfred Spellman and Billy Corben through their Miami-based media studio Rakontur. The film explores the rise of cocaine dealer Jon Roberts, described by prosecutors as "The Medellin Cartel's American representative". The film chronicles his role in the Miami drug war. The producers of Cocaine Cowboys use interviews with law enforcement, journalists, lawyers, former drug smugglers, and gang members to provide a first-hand perspective of the Miami drug war.
Griselda Blanco Restrepo was a Colombian drug lord who was prominent in the cocaine-based drug trade and underworld of Miami, during the 1970s through the early 2000s, and who has also been claimed by some to have been part of the Medellín Cartel. Blanco was assassinated in Medellín on September 3, 2012, age 69.
Once in a Lifetime: The Extraordinary Story of the New York Cosmos is a 2006 documentary film about the New York Cosmos, one of the most famous soccer clubs in the history of the United States.
Aurin Squire is an African-American playwright, screenwriter, and reporter. He has written numerous plays, while his reporting has appeared in The New Republic, Talking Points Memo, Chicago Tribune, Miami Herald, and ESPN, among other outlets.
Max Mermelstein was an American drug smuggler for the Medellín Cartel in the late 1970s and early 80s, who later became a key informant against the organization. In the words of James P. Walsh, the U.S. Attorney for Los Angeles CA, Mermelstein "was probably the single most valuable government witness in drug matters that this country has ever known." He became a "weapon for the government." Reputed to have smuggled 56 tons of cocaine worth $12.5 billion into the United States, Mermelstein was described by his attorney Tom Johnston as "just a nice Jewish guy who got into the wrong industry."
Cocaine Cowboys 2, also known as Cocaine Cowboys II: Hustlin' With the Godmother, is a 2008 documentary film sequel to Cocaine Cowboys (2006). Directed by Billy Corben and Lisa M. Perry and produced by Rakontur, the film features Charles Cosby, Nelson Andreu, and Jorge "Rivi" Ayala and the Colombian-born "Cocaine Godmother", drug lord Griselda Blanco.
Limelight is a 2011 documentary film that charts the rise and fall of New York City club king Peter Gatien. Produced by Gatien's daughter, Jen Gatien, it was released in special markets throughout the United States and Canada on September 23, 2011.
William Cohen, better known by the stage name Billy Corben, is an American documentary film director. Along with producing partner Alfred Spellman, he is co-founder of the Miami-based studio Rakontur, which has created films such as Cocaine Cowboys, Dawg Fight, The U, and The U Part 2.
Square Grouper: The Godfathers of Ganja is a 2011 documentary by director Billy Corben and produced by Alfred Spellman and Billy Corben through their Miami-based media studio Rakontur. The term square grouper was a nickname given to bales of marijuana thrown overboard or out of airplanes in South Florida in the 1970s and 1980s.
Evan Rosenfeld is a film and television producer born in Miami, Florida.
Alfred Spellman is an American film and television producer who co-founded the media studio rakontur.
Mickey Munday is an American former drug trafficker and former associate of Colombia's Medellin Cartel during the growth phase in cocaine trafficking, 1975–1986. Munday was featured in the 2006 Rakontur documentary, Cocaine Cowboys.
Dawg Fight is a documentary film directed by Billy Corben about the mixed martial arts career and personal life of Bellator MMA fighter Dhaffir Harris aka Dada 5000. The documentary is critically acclaimed for its sobering account of the brutal sport no holds barred fighting and bareknuckle fighting. It was also the last film appearance of Kimbo Slice before his death in 2016.
Cocaine Cowboys is a 1979 American crime drama film directed by Ulli Lommel and written by Lommel, Spencer Compton, Tom Sullivan and Victor Bockris. It stars Jack Palance, Sullivan, and Andy Warhol who made a cameo appearance. It was actor Tzi Ma's film debut.
Jorge Ayala-Rivera, also known as "Rivi" is a Colombian criminal who is best known for his work as a hitman for Medellín Cartel leader Griselda Blanco. In 1993, Ayala was sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole after 25 years.
Miami New Drama is a nonprofit professional theater company located in Miami Beach, Florida, founded in 2014. Since October 2016 it has been the resident theater company and operator of the historic Colony Theatre on Miami Beach. Since its first production in January 2016, the company has produced work by American, Latin American, and international theater artists.
537 Votes is an HBO original documentary directed by Billy Corben and released on October 21, 2020. The documentary discusses the controversial 2000 United States presidential election in Florida and was released in the run-up to the 2020 United States presidential election. The film premiered at the 2020 GEMS Film Festival.
Cocaine Cowboys: The Kings of Miami is a 2021 six part docuseries chronicling the rise and fall of Miami drug lords Sal Magluta and Willy Falcon. The two were eventually indicted in one of the largest drug cases in United States history, accused of illegally smuggling 75 tons of cocaine into the country. The series is directed by Billy Corben who previously directed three Cocaine Cowboys features.
