Skategoat

Leandre Sanders was born in Venice Beach, LA, into a world of gangs and crime. The only thing that kept him out of trouble was his love of skateboarding. While his older brothers joined the family tradition of running with gangs, Leandre - dubbed Skategoat - spent most of his days and nights at Venice Beach skatepark with his younger brother Leontay. He was so talented and determined that, at the age of 11, he caught the eye of filmmaker Van Alpert. Over the next ten years, Van documented Leandre’s struggle to perfect his skateboarding and to survive.

Set against the visually palpable decline of LA, the decade captured by Van charts Leandre’s journey to becoming an internationally respected skater who has perfected his own unique ‘no stance’ skate style. The result is a gritty reflection of what it takes to make it in the skating world – and what it takes to survive as a disadvantaged kid in the United States.