1. PRINT SHOP
A FILM BY
CHRISTIAN NOLAN JONES
CONCEPT BY
SEAN VALENTINE
INSPIRED BY TRUE EVENTS
@PRINTSHOPFILM
WWW.PRINTSHOPFILM.COM
2. SYNOPSIS
Print Shop is a story of the unshakable will of a visionary in a land of
despair. The central protagonist, Ishmael, a stoic seventeen-year-old
orphan becomes an integral part of his North Philadelphia community by
making ”Rest in Peace” and “Free My Homie” t-shirts for the deceased
and the incarcerated, respectively. Despite his lack of formal training and
his age, Ishmael manages to mold himself into a great businessman and
craftsman. He quietly nurtures ambitions of becoming an acclaimed high
fashion designer during the early 2000s which we have, in hindsight, come
to understand as a time dominated by ill-fitting urban streetwear. While
Ishmael runs one of a few profitable legal businesses, operated in the back
of a struggling black-owned dry cleaner, he battles a moral dilemma as he
begins to realize that he is only able to profit when someone in his
community dies or goes to jail. Ishmael struggles to keep the hopeful
flame of his ambitious lit as he watches the same death he has profited
from quickly approach his inner circle.
The rich cultural backdrop of inner-city Philadelphia in 2001 provides an
ideal atmosphere for a story of triumph over seemingly insurmountable
odds. In a city which reveres NBA Superstar and Philadelphia 76ers guard
Allen Iverson as an immovable cultural force and the personification of a
warrior. The beaten-yet unbreakable will of Iverson permeates the far
reaches of the North Philadelphia ghetto, fueling our characters with the
hope it takes to believe they can overcome their individual circumstances.
LOGLINE
An aspiring fashion designer from North Philadelphia, Ishmael, creates
“Rest in Peace” t-shirts to commemorate slain neighborhood victims of
violence, and “Free My Homie” tees for the incarcerated of his
community.
PRINT
SHOP
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PRESS
KIT
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3.
4. DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT
To a young person growing up in an urban community, “rest in peace”
and “free my homie” tees are all too familiar. But it’s not solely about
people being killed and imprisoned at a frequent rate. It was, and still is, a
cultural phenomenon unique to black and brown communities in
America. It was my first encounter with solidarity in my community.1
People silently mourning the loss of a person’s life, or silently protesting
the incarceration of a family member.
When Sean reached out to me regarding Print Shop, it all instantly
clicked for me. I immediately understood why this film is important. The
idea of a young man being the sole creator of these items, thus
connecting many different segments of
his community, presents an obvious dilemma. The more profitable his
business becomes, the direr the situation grows around him.
The practice of putting family and friends on a t-shirt is so deeply rooted
in black culture, but it is something that hasn’t crossed over into
mainstream America’s lens. In a time period where police brutality is
rampant and mass incarceration is the topic of discussion, the practice of
making these t-shirts represents that black and brown communities all
along recognized those issues.
Taking place in the early 2000s, Print Shop will shine light on an era that
—in my opinion—isn’t viewed as history, yet. For my generation, it did a
lot of shaping and shifting, though. It’s a time that birthed Allen Iverson
and Lil Wayne. A time I hold near and dear to my heart.
Looking past the evident ethical issues, it takes an intelligent mind to build
a business model around guaranteed despair in his community. It also
takes a caring heart to nominate his or her self as the person who
comforts that same ailing community. But more than either of those
distinctions, it takes a brave persona to envision more for the future as
lives are halted all around. That’s what Ishmael represents for me. That’s
what Print Shop represents for us.
PRINT
SHOP
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PRESS
KIT
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