Director Jun Bae’s Turf Nations follows the dance crew Turf Feinz, as they earn their living through street dancing on BART trains, awarding them both an income and independence. Many of the stars have appeared in the music videos of stars like H.E.R (Yung Phil), Tyga (Lavish Don B), Kehlani (Zel) and Capolow (Velo). This exciting film couldn’t be timelier and has been selected for the upcoming Miami Short Film Festival.
Turfing is an Oakland-born dance form that combines roots in gang culture with elements of tutting, gliding and bone breaking; Turf Nation follows the street dancers perform on BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) trains, as they pave their own paths towards freedom and independence.
Jun Bae is a Tokyo-born Korean creative director. His work often centers around street dancers occupying non-conventional spaces. Themes explore underground culture and freedom of movement. He holds an MFA in Documentary Film and Video from Stanford University. He is the founder of PRIZM VISION. His upcoming film stars the bone breaking dancer, Kidd Strobe as he aspires to make it in the music industry as Frenchiebabyy.
The dance crew have individually made names for themselves by dancing for some of the biggest names in the music industry and amassing millions of views on social media. Yung Phil is a professional dancer/influencer from Hawaii. He has been credited to work with major artists such as H.E.R, G-Eazy, Kehlani, Jack Harlow, E-40, and many more. Lavish Don B is a professional dancer/influencer out of Oakland, California. He has been credited to work with major artists such as Future, H.E.R, Tyga, G-Eazy, Kehlani, Jack Harlow, E-40, and many more. Zel is a professional dancer/influencer out of San Francisco, California. He has been credited to work with major artists such as H.E.R, G-Eazy, Kehlani, E-40, and many more. Yung Raph: Yung Raph is a turf dancer from Hayward California. Velo is a professional dancer from the Bay Area. He has been credited to work with underground artists such as Capolow, 4mkcrane and many more.
Turf Nation made the official selection for the Big Sky Documentary Film Festival and an Award nominee, it has also been officially selected for Miami Short Film Festival and the postponed Bermuda International Film Festival.