A deconstructed adaptation of “Dante’s Inferno,” taking place at a bathsalt-fueled fighting ring in Miami’s underworld. More an experience than a narrative, filmmaker Julian Yuri Rodriguez takes us past the thin veneer of civilization to “I Sol Tace” (where the sun is silent), a place where all our preconceived notions of entertainment and beauty are challenged.
Julian Yuri Rodriguez created this film for Borscht 8.
Premiere: Fantasia Film Festival, 2013
"mind-bending and voyeuristic... explores and questions what we find engaging and beautiful... The experience is seedy and brutal, with hellish yet celebratory undertones. Dizzying and visionary—almost like Gaspar Noé's "Enter the Void"—this is a freakish carnival of curiosity with death and sex as the stakes...The film is indeed beautiful, with a sweaty, smoky aesthetic... Ultimately Rodriguez has created a near-sensory experience through stunning visuals and his distinct ability to twist a story." -Cool Hunting
"gritty, grimey, rough and not for the faint of heart." -Film Threat
"C#ckfight is unsettling and dark: Gaspar Noé and Lars von Trier are two obvious influences. But the film also has a distinct look and feel, along with an unexpected sense of strange, only-in-Miami humor - all evidence of a true directorial vision." -Miami Herald
writer/director: Julian Yuri Rodriguez
writer: Ariel Castro
producer: Lucas Leyva, Giancarlo Loffredo
the host: Nassie Shahoulian
molly: Badara Ndiaye
santiago: Julio Nunez
molly's father: Arnaldo Yuri Rodriguez
el gringo: Tommy Groth
drug guy: Carlos Mucha
associate producer: Arly Montes, Sasha Vaziri
cinematography: Daniel Fernandez
film editing: Diego Meza-Valdes
production design: Josue Clotaire Fleurimond
sound department: Cory Czajkowski (sound mixer)
composer: John Hancock
girlfriend: Patricia Hernandez
boyfriend: Leonardo Valencia
bartender: Dan Fagan
vomiting man: Alex Blandon
bathsalt junkie: Carlos Mucha
bouncer: Coco Stabs
bodybuilder: Victor Lopez
bar brawlers: Juan Mederos, Johann Luna. Enrique Alberto Galan
the crowd: Epifanio Leyva, Carlos Loffredo, Urbano Mederos, Alain Erriguible, Jean Pierre Errigible, Gianfranco Rosa, Antonio Alonson, Fareed Abedlghani, Jason Ottey, Andres Rivera, Armando Valdes, Camilo Sierra, Arturo Valbuena, Carlos Gazanini, Alejandro Alvarado, Jose Alvarado, Jose Padron, Boris Montalvo, Michael Crucet, Julian Ramon Sanchez, Alex Rodriguez, Luke Heintz, Giovanni Borace, Jose Garcia, Daniel Fagan, Raul Romero, No Emotions, Cory O'Brien, Ivan Nodal, Chris Arevalo, Richard Ralph, Khalid Afzali, Alejandro Uribe, Gregg Rivero, John Cano, Luis Portacio, Diego Genoa, Oscar Galvis, Eric Anderson, David Anasagasti, Diego Lizarzaburu, Arturo Valbuena, Victor Lopez
sound design: Seripidasound
Julian Yuri Rodriguez was born and lives in Miami, Florida. His short films, music videos, and web projects have been screened locally and internationally in art venues and film festivals including Fantasia, New Orleans, and Slamdance and have been awarded jury prizes from festivals in Tolouse, France and Atlanta.
His work has been profiled in Filmmaker Magazine, Film Threat, Hammer to Nail, Aint It Cool News, and SPIN Magazine. Julian Yuri Rodriguez is currently developing his first feature film slated for 2015 and has just been chosen to be a part of the Sundance Knight Foundation Fellowship program for their 2014 festival.
website: JulianYuri.com