Larry Clark Partners With Filmmakers Edgar Morais & Luke Eberl On Music Doc ‘It Was Them’

EXCLUSIVE: Larry Clark, the filmmaker behind the Harmony Korine-scripted Kids and Brad Renfro starrer Bully, has come aboard the music documentary It Was Them, from filmmakers Edgar Morais (Heatstroke) and Luke Eberl (Choose Connor), as an executive producer.

Currently in production, It Was Them is a portrait of the highs and lows of Jonathan Velasquez, Eddie Velasquez, Frank Navarrette and Carlos Ramirez, a group of musically talented Indigenous-Latino friends from South Central L.A. who look to find their footing as immigrants in the foreign and labyrinthic streets of Paris. The film spans over a decade in the lives of the nomads and features an original soundtrack written and performed by the subjects.

In addition to co-directing, Morais has contributed writing to the film and is producing alongside Eberl. The U.S.-Portugal-German co-production’s team also includes producers Sol Tryon (Sean Baker’s Starlet, the Oscar short-listed Amerikatsi), Rodrigo Areias (Venice prize winner Listen, Golden Seashell and Goya winner The Rye Horn), and co-producers Andre Hörmann (Ringside, Netflix’s Till Murder Do Us Part) and Max Milhahn.

Morais and Eberl previously collaborated on the award-winning narrative short We Won’t Forget, in which a woman’s frustrations boil to the surface while hosting a party for her friends, culminating in a public freak-out that turns into collective hysteria. The short screened at over 25 festivals worldwide, including the Oscar-qualifying Palm Springs ShortFest, and was selected as Short of the Week and Vimeo Staff Pick. It also won various awards, including the Grand Jury Prize and award for Best Editing at the Castrovillari Film Festival, and was nominated for a Portuguese Academy Award for Best Short Film. Prior to It Was Them, Morais and Eberl also collaborated on music videos for bands such as Mothxr and the Grammy-nominated Shiny Toy Guns.

A filmmaker, photographer and actor, Morais’ directorial debut, the short film Heatstroke, won the CinEuphoria award for Best Screenplay. As an actor, he has worked with directors such as Teresa Sutherland, Victoria Mahoney, and Tiago Guedes in films that have screened at Cannes, Venice, Fantasia, Gothenburg, Vila do Conde, and Rotterdam.

Also an actor-filmmaker, Eberl’s feature directorial debut, Choose Connor, was released theatrically and on video by Strand Releasing following a successful festival run. That film followed an idealistic 15-year old who accepted the opportunity to serve as the youth spokesman for a U.S. Senate candidate, only to be exploited in a fierce campaign of TV and radio ads, posters, interviews, and speaking engagements. As an actor, he’s worked with directors such as Tim Burton, Alfonso Arau, Vincent Paterson, Peter Hoar, and Clint Eastwood.

Known for his unflinching explorations of youth culture, addiction, and rebellion, Clark first gained recognition with Tulsa, a book of photography documenting teenage drug use and disaffected lifestyles in his hometown. He transitioned to filmmaking with the iconic drama Kids, chronicling the lives of teenagers in New York City, which became a cultural flashpoint in 1995. Other works from the filmmaker include Bully, as well as Ken Park, Another Day in Paradise, Wassup Rockers, Marfa Girls, and The Smell of Us.

Morais is repped by Eleven Dot Eight, Middleweek Newton Talent Management, and Robert Stein Management; Eberl by Phoenix Artists, Blue Ridge Entertainment, and HIT Management.