Hailed by The New York Times as "the best movie about the life and world of skateboarders since Dogtown," Tristan Patterson's directorial debut Dragonslayer documents the transgressions of Josh "Skreech" Sandoval, a local skate legend from the stagnant suburbs of Fullerton, California, in the aftermath of America's economic collapse. Executive produced by Christine Vachon (Kids, Boys Don't Cry) and released theatrically by legendary indie imprint Drag City Records (Harmony Korine's Trash Humpers), the film takes the viewer through a golden SoCal haze of lost youth, broken homes and abandoned swimming pools, set to a soundtrack of bands from Mexican Summer and Kemado Records—including Best Coast, Bipolar Bear, Children, Dungen, Jacuzzi Boys, Little Girls and The Soft Pack—as well as Death and Thee Oh Sees. Dragonslayer won the Grand Jury Prize for Best Documentary at SXSW 2011 and was named one of the 10 Best Films of 2011 by critics at indieWire, L Magazine and numerous other publications.
