Died Young, Stayed Pretty. Directed by Eileen Yaghoobian

Exclaim! DVD review Read More
NON-THEATRICAL/ LIBRARY/ CLASSROOM/ PUBLIC PERFORMANCE RIGHTS please contact eileen@yaghoobian.com.

 

 

Died Young, Stayed Pretty is a candid look at the underground poster culture in North America. This unique documentary examines the creative spirit that drives these indie graphic artists. They pick through the dregs of America’s schizophrenic culture and piece them back together. What you end up with is a caricature of the black and bloated heart that pulses greed through the US economy. The artists push further into the pulp to grab the attention of passersby, plastering art that’s both vulgar and intensely visceral onto the gnarled surfaces of the urban landscape. The film gives us intimate look at some of the giants of this modern subculture. Outside of their own circle, they’re virtually unknown. But within their ranks they make up an army of bareknuckle brawlers, publicly arguing the aesthetic merits of octopus imagery and hairy 70s porn stars. They’ve created their own visual language for describing the spotty underbelly of western civilization and they're not shy about throwing it in the face of polite society. Along the way, they manage to create posters that are strikingly obscene, unflinchingly blasphemous and often quite beautiful. Yaghoobian shows these artists for what they are: the vivisectionists of America’s morbidly obese consumer culture.

Keith HerzikTANXXXGuy Burwell

posters above by Keith Herzik  |  TANXXX  |  Guy Burwell




Ron LibertiBryce McCloudDarren Pasemko

poster above by Ron Liberti  |  Bryce McCloud  |  Darren Pasemko

select artist
Acceptance Mark

Eileen Yaghoobian – Producer/Director/Cinematographer/Editor

Iranian-born Canadian filmmaker Eileen Yaghoobian has spent the past four years shooting her first, full-length documentary film DIED YOUNG STAYED PRETTY. This project is the pinnacle of her 10-year career in film and will premiere at the 2008 Montreal World Film Festival. Yaghoobian's formal training in filmmaking, 3D animation, theatre, and photography provided a foundation for her diverse career as a director, production designer, and set decorator for numerous independent productions in Canada and the United States. Yaghoobian's short films and videos have screened at national and international festivals as well as art exhibitions. Her Still Photography can be found in the permanent collections at the George Eastman House International Museum of Photography and Film; the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; Bibliothèque Nationale, Paris; and Art Bank: Canada Council for the Arts, Ottawa. She recently directed Tennesse Williams' play The Night of the Iguana in Boston. Yaghoobian has just completed the prestigious Lincoln Center Director's Lab 2008 and is in the midst of developing a feature narrative for her next feature film.


Check out Dead Zoo's Indiegogo Page! Currently in pre-production, we are raising funds to make a short film combining essential components of the feature project, DEAD ZOO.


Mark Greenberg – Music Composer

Mark Greenberg was a member of the band the Coctails (Hi-Ball/Carrot Top) in the early 90's and currently plays and records with Archer Prewitt (Thrill Jockey), and Eleventh Dream Day (Thrill Jockey) and Chestnut Station (Drag City). In addition to touring and recording bands in his home studio, Mark also makes music for use in video games, TV, the Internet, and films with his companies Mayfair Recordings and the Mayfair Workshop. He lives in Chicago with his wife Ann-Marie and their three beautiful children.


Pete Dionne – Visual Effects

Pete Dionne has spent the last seven years in the film industry as a VFX artist at Tehnicolor in Vancouver.  A few of his highlights have been Slither, The Butterfly Effect, and It's All Gone Pete Tong.  He has also worked on a number of independent music videos, including Black Rice's Into The Night and Sam Roberts' Hard Road.

“Captivating artifact of an era”
Read More.

— The Village Voice

“Raw -- an outlaw movie about outlaw artists”

— PETER RAINER, NPR

“DIY artists of every stripe, this is your movie” Read More.

— JOHN GRIFFIN, THE GAZETTE

“If Helvetica opened the doors to a mass audience for design, three new films are taking it one step further” Read More.

— PRINT MAGAZINE

GRADE: A!
“savvy and fun to watch”

Read More.

— JEFF MONK, UPTOWN MAGAZINE

“newest art on the block” Read More.

— PETER GODDARD, THE TORONTO STAR

"Striking!" Read More.

— DAVID BERRY, VUE WEEKLY

— JIM REYNO, METRO

“delightfully subversive” Read More.

— RICK GROEN, THE GLOBE AND MAIL

“Lewd, crude and gloriously foul-mouthed” Read More.

— SAM MCMILLAN, 50TH ANNIVERSARY ISSUE OF COMMUNICATION ARTS

“Unexpectedly Excellent” Read More.

— VADIM RIZOV, SPOUT

“Mad collage of genuine originals” Read More.

— PETER MARTIN, TWITCH

“Yaghoobian uncovers a unique subculture filled with fascinating characters.” Read More.

— STEPHEN COOKE, THE CHRONICLE HERALD

DYSP is a thoroughly enjoyable film.” Read More.

— JON MANDELL, ADBUSTERS

“...great doc about the rebirth of the mighty culture-subverting rock poster” Read More.

— JOHN GRIFFIN, THE GAZETTE

Died Young Stayed Pretty is a fascinating look at the rock poster renaissance” Read More.

— MATT HAYS, MIRROR

“A beautifully shot doc that combines a home-video collage aesthetic with non-obvious editing, and some clever divergences...” Read More.

— MELORA KOEPKE, HOUR

“downright fascinating and provocative” Read More.

— JOSEPH BELANGER, IONCINEMA

CBC National Radio "Q"
Listen to the Podcast

Interview starts at 33:03

— HOST JIAN GHOMESHI


View Production Stills  |  Download Stills


Upcoming Events

Brooklyn Premiere!
Saturday, June 5 7:30 pm at Union Docs.
Presented on the evening by the Director with Special Guests -- Robert Newman, Joe Newton, Kayrock.

South Carolina Premiere!
Thursday, July 22 6:00pm
AIGA South Carolina presents at Nickelodeon Theatre, Columbia, SC
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Past Events

Berlin Premiere! April 15th @ 10 pm at Moviemento Kino.
Tickets Information

Amsterdam Premiere!
Thursday April 8th at 8:10 pm - Wednesday, May 5th at SMART Project Space.
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SweetTalk Cph and Plant present the Scandinavian Premier! Tuesday, April 6 at 9:30 pm Grand Teatret, Copenhagen
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More Information:
Facebook Group
Facebook SweetTalk Page
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Airs in April in Canada on Super Channel
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Grand Illusion Cinema, Seattle WA
Friday, Jan. 8th, 2010

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Roxie Theater, San Francisco
June 29 - July 1st
Advance tickets

IFC CENTER, New York Premiere!
Friday July 17-Thusday July 23rd
Filmmaker & Special Guests in Person Opening Weekend
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Comic-Con International Independent Film Festival
Thursday, JULY 23
San Diego, CA
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Grand Illusion Cinema Seattle, WA
Dates TBA
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Museum of Fine Arts, Boston (Remis Auditorium)
July 30th - August 7th
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Cinema 21 Theater Portland, OR
Wednesday, August 25th
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Gallery Visio and UM - St. Louis AIGA
Wednesday, September 2nd

Belcourt Theatre, Nashville Tennessee
Thursday, September 3rd
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Chattanooga, Tennessee
Friday, September 4th
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Brooks Museum, Memphis, Tennessee
Saturday, September 5th
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Florida State University, Tallahassee, Florida
Monday, September 8th
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Cine-Athens, Georgia
Wednesday, September 9th
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Atlanta, Georgia
Thursday, September 10th

Bellevue University, Omaha, Nebraska (AIGA)
Saturday, September 12th
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USC Roski School of Fine Arts
Monday, September 14
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Aero Theatre, Santa Monica, CA
Thursday, September 16th
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Denver Film Society at the Starz Film Center
September 17 - 24th
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Cornell University, Ithaca NY
Tuesday, September 22nd
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Wexner Center for the Arts, Columbus, OH
Wednesday September 23rd
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Corcoran Gallery, Washington, DC
Thursday September 24rd
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The Cleveland Institute of Art Cinematheque
Friday September 25th & 26th
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The Dryden Theatre, Rochester, NY
George Eastman House
TBA
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Music Box Theatre, Chicago IL
Wednesday, September 30th
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Walker Art Center & Sound UnSeen
Thursday, October 1st
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Flint Institute of Arts, Flint, MI
September 25th
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Ringwald Theatre Ferndale, MI (Detroit AIGA)
Thursday, October 8th
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Institute of Contemporary Arts (London)
UK Release! October 9th
London, UK
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Moore College of Art & Design, Philadelphia, PA
Tuesday, November 17th
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Latest Press Release

SXSW Film Festival


Press Links

Exclaim!
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Twitch
Pronetwork
Austin Chronicle
Austin Daze
Little Rock Film Fest
Thick
The Globe and Mail


In the News

Submarine Channel
indieWIRE
Spoutblog
SXSW
Mcgill Daily
Juxtapoz
Television Business International (TBI) magazine
The Daily IFC.COM
Uptown Magazine
Metro
Hollywood North Report
Creativity Online
Step Inside Design Magazine
Communication Arts
Exclaim Magazine
Paste Magazine
LiquidTreat.com Review


Press Gallery

Download Stills


Press Contact Info

Eileen Yaghoobian
Producer, Director
eileen@yaghoobian.com

People who helped with the film!

Music Composer: Mark Greenberg

Visual Effects: Pete Dionne

Seattle DOP: Mahlon Todd Williams

Seattle Sound Mixer: Millar Montgomery

Sound Editer & Mixer: Doug Woods

Additional Sound Editing: Melody Drolet

Titles: Francis Hanneman

End Credits: Line Severinsen

DVD cover design: Darren Pasemko

Copywriter: Michael Rigler

Coctails: Carrot Top Records


To find out more about the poster people in my film visit Clayton Hayes' Gigposters!

Some of the people in my film!

Brian ChippendaleArt ChantryPrint MafiaAndrew BirdDMBQClyde JonesRon LibertiTom HazelmyerStephen McClellanBryce McCloudSeripopAmes BrosMethane StudiosEl Bado/William BallardTyler StoutRob JonesJay RyanMat DalyNick ButcherKeith HerzikSteve WaltersShawn WolfeNoel WaggenerJeff KleinsmithMig KokindaDale FlattumMike KingDan SchlisselStainboyUncle CharlieAmerican Poster Institute

Died Young, Stayed Pretty was completed in part through the generous support of the Canada Council for the Arts.

info@diedyoungstayedpretty.com


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More work by Eileen Yaghoobian, vist Yaghoobian.com