The Tattooist

The Crazy Life

September 2008 •Spanish

Reflects a depressing and hopeless reality by following some of the members of "la dieciocho", the so-called 18th Street gang in a poor San Salvador neighborhood.

Stoney Knows How

November 1981 •English

A visit with a master of the Oldest Art In The World: tattooing. Disabled by arthritis since the age of four, confined to a wheelchair, his growth stunted, Stoney St. Clair joined the circus at 15 as a sword swallower. A year later he took up tattooing, and traveled with circuses and carnivals for fifty years practicing his craft. As we watch him at work, we see the determination which led Stoney to use his crippled hands in an art where mistakes are permanent, and we realize Stoney has overcome his handicap to heal himself and others with the magic of symbols. The film ends with a visit by New Age tattoo master Don Ed Hardy, who receives a permanent souvenir by Old School tattoo master Stoney.

Haus of Pain

April 2017 •English

A professional gamer teams up with a coworker to fulfil his childhood dream of becoming a pro-wrestler.

The Meme Machine

December 2016 •English

An exploration of the origins of memes, how they spread, and the stories behind some of the most popular “human memes” like Ermahgerd Girl, Overly Attached Girlfriend, and Chocolate Rain Guy.

Why We’re Here: 15 Years of Rooster Teeth

April 2018 •English

The founders and media personalities of Rooster Teeth reflect on their history, growth and fandom throughout the years.

PHOENIX

February 2020 •German

Tattoos: A Scarred History

June 2009 •English

An exploration of how the once taboo art form has become socially acceptable.

Let's Play Live: The Documentary

September 2015 •English

An exploration of why Let’s Plays are so popular, as well as how the convergence of gaming and community are redefining the stages once reserved for only the biggest of rock stars.

Grandma's Tattoo

February 2011 •English

A family story that reveals the fate of the Armenian women driven out of Ottoman Turkey during the First World War. The story of "Grandma's Tattoos" is a personal film about what happened to many Armenian women during the genocide In 1919, just at the end of World War I, the Allied forces reclaimed 90,819 Armenian young girls and children who, during the war years, were forced to become prostitutes to survive, or had given birth to children after forced or arranged marriages or rape. Many of these women were tattooed as a sign that they belonged to abductor. European and American missionaries organized help and saved thousands of refugees who were later scattered all over the world to places like Beirut, Marseille, and Fresno.Director Suzanne Khardalian

Connected

April 2016 •English

Follow Barbara Dunkelman and Blaine Gibson as they must survive their work, their social lives and the modern world without the comfort of their cell phones in order to explore how our brains change with our use of technology and analyze how we sustain and build relationships in the 21st century.

Signatures of the Soul

October 1984 •English

Tattooing — "the world's oldest skin game" — is the subject of this iconic documentary. Writer/director Geoff Steven scored a major coup by signing Easy Rider legend Peter Fonda as his presenter. Travelling to Aotearoa, Samoa, Japan and the United States, the doco traces key developments in tattooing, including its importance in the Pacific, prison-inspired styles, and the influence of 1960s counterculture. Legendary tattooists feature (including Americans Ed Hardy and Jack Rudy), while the closing credits parade some eye-opening full body tattoos.

Suspension: The Ultimate Body Experience

February 1999 •English

A look into the world of body piercing and suspension and the people who do it.

The Man Whose Mind Exploded

June 2014 •English

In this "beautifully intimate and utterly unique piece of cinema", Toby Amies crosses the line between filmmaker and carer, trying to cope with the strange and hilarious world view of the fragile eccentric, Drako Zarharzar. A love story. Drako Oho Zaraharzar can remember modeling for Salvador Dali and hanging out with The Stones. But he can’t remember yesterday. Following a severe head injury, Drako Zaraharzar suffers from terrible memory loss, he can access memories from before his accident, but can’t imprint new ones. As he puts it, “the recording machine in my head doesn’t work”. Consequently, and as an antidote to depression he chose to live “completely in the now” according to the bizarre mottoes delivered to him whilst in a coma.

Unconventional

June 2017 •English

An internet personality takes a journey through the small, obscure, and downright bizarre conventions happening every weekend around the country as he tries to fit in and find the common link that unites these communities.

Becoming Jessica Nigri

January 2018 •English

A portrait of cosplayer Jessica Nigri, from a magical childhood growing up with quirky parents in New Zealand, to entering middle school in the U.S. where she was mercilessly teased for her "nerdy" interests.

Tattoos: Tous tatoués !

November 2013 •French

How did they migrate from the margin to the masses, from underground to mainstream? Tattoos have now permeated all levels of society, but what does the practice of tattooing actually convey? A remarkable investigation into the powers of tattooing. From Los Angeles to Tokyo, Paris to Amsterdam, the film will intermix personal stories from several key characters.

The World's Greatest Head Massage: An ASMR Journey

July 2016 •English

Two men fly to India to search for Baba, the "Cosmic Barber of Pushkar," whose famous "World's Greatest Head Massage" videos gave them both tingling ASMR sensations.

Literary Ink: A Wizard’s Journey

December 2020 •English

In March 2018, elite tattoo artists from across the globe came together in Chattanooga, Tennessee to celebrate the intersection of literary fantasy and artistic magic at the inaugural Literary Ink convention. “Literary Ink: A Wizard’s Journey” explores the lives, dreams, techniques and artistic inspiration of four of these Tattoo Wizards.

Modify

January 2006 •English

Stories of people who regard augmenting their bodies as a way of life, whether for artistic reasons or out of pure vanity.

Skin Pics

October 1980 •English

A bold reveal of a rose tattoo opens this 1980 documentary on tattooing in New Zealand. The potted history includes visits to tattoo parlours on K' Road and Hastings, and the studios of industry legends Steve Johnson and Roger Ingerton. Tattooists discuss public stigma, people's reasons for getting inked, and popular designs: sailors, serpents, swallows and tā moko. Made for documentary slot Contact, Skin Pics chronicles a time when "folk art has become high art".