The documentary of the “art and crimes” of urban artist David Choe has finished its two-year film festival run and is set to be released on DVD on July 18.
The film was shot over a seven-year period by the Los Angeles native’s close friend Harry Kim. “Dirty Hands” explores Choe’s upbringing in L.A.’s Koreatown, chronicles the artist’s many run-ins with the law and offers tons of behind-the-scenes footage of how Choe makes his art. In one scene, Choe punches himself in the nose repeatedly until he draws blood. He then uses the blood to paint, telling the viewer things like blood and coffee have a much better tone than just plain watercolors.
Choe announced the release of the DVD on his blog yesterday and also offered a link to a streaming version of the movie, free of charge. (I clicked on the link to watch the first 10 minutes and ending watching the entire thing in one sitting. NSFW, by the way).
“Dirty Hands” premiered at the Los Angeles Film Festival in 2008 and went on to win the Grand Jury prize at the San Diego Asian Film Festival.
The two-disc DVD set includes more than three hours of footage not seen in the theatrical version of the documentary, along with special features with cameos by Inglourious Basterds‘ Eli Roth and porn star-turned-actress Sasha Grey. In addition, the DVD comes with a 20-page zine written and designed by Choe, who graced the cover of KoreAm‘s January 2006 issue.
