BICYCLE & FILM LOVERS! Help us finish our new doc!

In L.A., the car capital of the world, 85% of citizens get around by car. Those in the community unable to afford a car are left without options. Public transportation is unsafe and inaccessible. Riding bicycles is impractical and dangerous, given driver aggression towards cyclists and a lack of public infrastructure or a connected network of bike lanes. Walkability is limited in most neighborhoods.

One Angeleno, Jimmy Lizama, founder of the L.A. Bicycle Kitchen, takes his 12-year-old son, Joaquín, to school by bicycle. Jimmy is a bike messenger, and he's always gotten around by bike; he’s never had a car. Jimmy drops Joaquín, or "J.Q.," two blocks away from his school, given that kids make fun of J.Q. for being the only one brought to school by bike.

When earlier this year, Jimmy told me he was planning on taking J.Q. across five countries by bike to see different bicycle-friendly places, I thought it was a fantastic story to tell — I immediately asked if I could follow them with a camera.

They said, “Yes.” So we went to Germany, Holland, Norway, Denmark, and Brussels — and had amazing conversations about solutions to climate change, making cities more green and livable, and living in the constant pursuit of one’s deepest passions.

This new feature-length documentary was shot for three weeks this summer in Denmark, Holland, Germany, Norway, & Brussels, and the footage looks beautiful. It was shot on a Red Komodo camera with vintage Prime lenses.

Now, we need the help of bike enthusiasts around the globe and our friends and family to help us finish the project. These finishing funds will go toward post-production: editing, sound editing, music, visual effects, coloring, graphic design, and film festivals & distribution. We are grateful for the support of all kinds and sizes; as independent artists, we rely on the generous support of many, and we couldn't do it without that. 

As for me, for as long as I can remember, I've wanted to direct. Recently I completed U.S.C.'s M.F.A. Film & T.V. Production program, where I harnessed my love of storytelling into the craft of filmmaking. While there, I wrote and directed Spokespeople, my thesis project about Los Angeles' underrepresented bicycle communities fighting to make L.A. a safer place to ride a bike. 

The short has gone on to play over 30 film festivals worldwide, including the American Pavilion's Emerging Filmmakers Showcase at the Cannes Film Festival and the Oscar-qualifying Rhode Island International and Edmonton International Film Festivals.

Now, members of the creative team have reunited to tell a new story about Bicycles, Community, Climate, and Fathers and Sons titled Freak Bikes. Thank you for your support.

LEVELS OF SUPPORT & REWARDS:

$15 - Link to the film

$20 - Thank you in the film's end credits

$50 - Invitation to the film's premiere screening + previous rewards

$100 - Signed film poster + previous rewards

$250 - Signed film still + previous rewards

$500 - Wheel-making lesson with Jimmy Lizama + previous rewards

$1,000 - Associate Producer billing + previous rewards

$2,500 - Co-Producer billing + previous rewards

$5,000 - Executive Producer billing + previous rewards

RYAN MEKENIAN is a writer/director whose short film, Spokespeople, played 30 festivals worldwide, including the American Pavilion Emerging Filmmaker Showcase at the Cannes Film Festival. His feature script, The Man in the Flying Lawn Chair, was named a quarterfinalist in the 2022 Academy Nicholl Fellowship for Screenwriting and won the Screenwriting Discovery Award from the Oscar-qualifying Rhode Island International Film Festival. He is a graduate of U.S.C.'s renowned film production program.

JIMMY LIZAMA started the Bicycle Kitchen at an actual kitchen at the Los Angeles Eco-Village. He builds wheels by hand out of his Koreatown shop called Relámpago Wheelery and his work in advocacy currently includes Re:Ciclos, a non-profit bike-building program. Jimmy's son, JOAQUÍN LIZAMA, 12 years old, enjoys drawing, history, and spending time with his first girlfriend.

JEREMY SISTO (Narration) is an actor, writer, and producer known for his roles in the films Clueless, Thirteen, & Waitress, and the T.V. shows Law & Order, F.B.I., Six Feet Under, & Suburgatory, the latter of which he was nominated for Critics' Choice Television Award for Best Actor in a Comedy Series. In 2014, Sisto wrote, produced, and starred in Break Point.

GWEN HOWARD (Sound Recordist, Sound Designer/Editor, Producer) (she/they) is a sound editor and musician from Los Angeles, now based in London. Her practice includes songwriting, production, scoring, and sound design, and her work has been licensed to Saint Rogue (Sony/ATV) and placed in major television spots such as “Married at First Sight.” Her production work has been screened at festivals, including the Cannes Film Festival and the Rhode Island International Film Festival. Gwen holds a B.M. in Popular Music Performance from U.S.C. and an MComp in Electronic Music from the Guildhall School of Music & Drama.

SCHUYLER MASTAIN (Co-Producer) is a producer, writer, director, & actor whose recent work includes The Sower and Bushwick at the Hollywood Fringe Festival. He is a company member of the Open Fist Theater Company and the South Pasadena Theatre Workshop.

DANIEL SHEAHAN (Producer) graduated from the University of Southern California’s School of Cinematic Arts and currently serves as a Producer at MotionLit Services. His shorts films The Code of Family, Mantis Club, & Spokespeople have played over 40 film festivals worldwide. Daniel is also an international debate champion and a national speech champion.

STEPHEN TONTI (Producer) is a freelance writer, director, and ADHD advocate based in New Orleans. He holds a B.F.A. in Directing from Carnegie Mellon University and M.F.A. in Film and Television Production from U.S.C. He is the Co-Founder of two production companies (Vin Fiz & New Krewe) and the ADHD coaching & advocacy company Attention Different.

KATIE ROYER (Co-Producer & Story Editor) works as a writer, actor, and filmmaker in Los Angeles. She is the Associate Director of Berridge Programs, a film and theatre program in Normandy, France. Her article, "Here's What It's Really Like To Work In A Funeral Home," was published in The Huffington Post. Recently she directed the short films Cremation and Stuart and Stephanie.

ALEX ATIENZA (Editor) is a film editor from Washington, D.C. He received his M.F.A. in film production from the University of Southern California and his B.A. in cognitive science from the University of Pennsylvania. His photographs have been featured in Aint-Bad.

SETH WOODHOUSE (Assistant Editor) graduated in 2020 from U.S.C.’s School of Cinematic Arts. Since then, he has worked as a Post-Production Assistant on Ethan Hawke’s docuseries The Last Movie Stars & Assistant Editor on the upcoming Bryan Carberry Documentary from the director of Finders Keepers. Seth also writes and directs his own short films and comedy sketches, including Ghost Goose (2022) and the sketch series “I Hope I Die Laughing.” He lives in Los Angeles.

JULIA NEWMAN (Composer) is an LA-based film composer and songwriter with a long family history in entertainment. She is the daughter of composer Thomas Newman and one of only two female composers in the Newman dynasty. After receiving a B.F.A. from the California Institute of the Arts, she attended U.S.C.’s prestigious Screen Scoring Program, graduating with a Master's degree. She has worked across various media platforms, including short films, documentaries, web series, and games.