Skate Kitchen

Camille (newcomer Rachelle Vinberg) is somewhat marooned with her overprotective mother in Long Island. Fascinated by a group of female skaters (who call themselves Skate Kitchen), she follows their exploits on Instagram before plucking up the courage to meet them. There she finds friendship, and they face life together, and all its mysteries and challenges – skating, boys, tampons, sexism, parental restrictions, and finding the time and space to do what they love.

This is a fascinating film – somewhere in between fictionalised and documentary. The director Crystal Moselle (The Wolfpack) spent a lot of time with the real Skate Kitchen – an all-female skate collective based on the Lower East Side in New York - and scripted the film based on her experience.

This quirky, indie film captures the vibrant, energy of the streets, and feels very much like life just happens in front of the camera. Full of heart and laughter (and picking up the best newcomer award at Sundance Film Festival), why not give it a spin?

Gail Marshall