Cool Hunting

A standout of this year's RESFEST, Just For Kicks is the first feature-length documentary to look at the phenomenon of sneaker culture. Co-produced by France's Canal Plus and SpikeTV, interviews span a diverse cast of characters, from La Haine director Mathieu Kassovitz to longtime collector and hip hop pioneer Grandmaster Caz. A head-nodding soundtrack emphasizes the way hip hop culture has been the driving force behind brands evolving from exclusively athletic to more lifestyle-oriented, a concept that filmmakers Lisa Leone and Thibaut de Longeville illustrated with animated graphics and text set to Run-DMC's classic "My Adidas." Funny commentary by the likes of journalist Bönz Malone rescues the film from Velveeta voice overs and shows just how obsessive collectors can get. The film tours with RESFEST this fall, will show on SpikeTV, and a DVD is forthcoming