Take Flight

After more than a year in anticipation, Banlieue 13 – Ultimatum starring David Belle officially releases on DVD today! As the eye popping sequel to the instant classic District B13 (aka B13), the sequel takes the original film to new heights with new stunts, amazing action, breathtaking Parkour sequences, and a new level of athleticism from David, Cyril, and a supporting cast, crew, and stunt team.

For the convenience of our customers we have had the Banlieue 13 – Ultimatum DVD in our store available for pre-order for the past few weeks. All orders placed before today have now been mailed out with free priority shipping. If you haven’t ordered your copy yet these is still time to get it before the weekend. Copies of B13U are only $19.95. Get yours today!

District 13 Ultimatum (B13U) is coming to DVD! Starring David Belle and Cyril Raffaelli, B13U was the most highly anticipated Parkour film ever made when it released in February 2009 in Europe. Since then the film has debuted around the world and is finally being released on DVD in the United States. In accordance with the exciting release we have worked hard to make sure our customers can be the first to own the DVD.

At Take Flight we have always been and always will be huge supporters and promoters of Parkour films and projects involving David Belle. Banlieue 13 and B13 Ultimatum are the top two on both of these lists. Fortunately we have some strong relationships with various companies that allow us to sell products from these movies that others can’t. This is true in the case of our posters, and it is now true with the B13U DVD. Even though the movie doesn’t release until April 27^th, we have it in our store for pre-order purchase for Traceurs worldwide!

District 13 Ultimatum officially releases on DVD on April 27^th, and you can pre-order it now through our store for only $19.95. All orders placed for the DVD will be shipped ‘rush’ on this date, and all pre-orders will receive FREE shipping. Now is your chance to be, not one of the first but, THE first to own District 13 Ultimatum on DVD. Don’t miss out. Take advantage of this special opportunity and pre-order B13U now!

Everyone loves posters. Whether it’s a poster of an exotic island location, a celebrity, sports star, or musician, or any myriad of hobbies specific images such as sports cars, sailboats, or even girls the list is endless of what posters people will put on their walls. The one commonality is that most people have posters in their homes. Why most people do this, and we are no exception, is to remind ourselves of what we look up to and what we strive to reach or attain in one way or another. At Take Flight we wanted to bring this same experience to Traceurs around the globe in a Parkour specific fashion. We have worked hard and are proud to announce that we officially have brought the very first authentic Parkour posters to the Parkour community.

A few weeks ago we reached a special agreement with various parties that has allowed us to bring two products to our site that are exclusive to the Take Flight store. The products are official 27”x40” District B13 and District 13 Ultimatum movie posters! Both posters are displayed here in this post and are linked to their actual product location where you can purchase them. We have searched long and hard and we know for sure that you won’t find these posters anywhere else online or in stores. Only a few hundred of each of these posters were ever printed and these are extremely rare pieces of Hollywood merchandise and Parkour history.

If you loved District B13 and its sequel District 13 Ultimatum, these are the perfect compliments to your DVD and Parkour clothing collection. In brilliant detail these posters which feature David Belle are constant reminders of what Parkour is, where it came from, and what we strive to reach at Traceurs. We only have a limited supply of these posters available, and at only $29.95 they will only be up for sale for so long before they are all snatched up by Parkour enthusiast and collectors. Take this opportunity to get one, or both, for yourself now. These are a hot item, and they are sure to run out soon!

We have had the product available in our store for a few weeks now, and we wanted to make sure we announced it on our blog. Through the Take Flight store you can now purchase DVDs of District B13 starring David Belle.

District B13 really needs no introduction or explanation. The brief synopsis of the film on IMDB says, “Set in the ghettos of Paris in 2010, an undercover cop and ex-thug try to infiltrate a gang in order to defuse a neutron bomb.” The one word that this synopsis left out? Parkour. Starring the founder of Parkour himself, David Belle, B13 literally changed movies forever via its use of Parkour. The action chase sequences in the film have raised the bar for realistic action in a film and as a consequence have also since been a large contributor to the expansion and growth of Parkour around the world. Since the movie’s release in 2004 the film has become a cult film in the Parkour community and is by far the most highly revered and respected Parkour related movie ever made.

Every Traceur owes it to himself/herself to own a copy District B13 (Banlieue 13). With the DVD now in our store, getting your hands on it is literally just a few clicks away.

Banlieue 13 Ultimatum was released in U.S. theaters today! We couldn’t be more excited for he U.S. Parkour community as a whole for this film’s debut and of course for ourselves here at Take Flight because we get to watch it too!

Banlieue 13 Ultimatum (aka District 13 Ultimatum – U.S. Title-) has been out in Europe since February of 2009, and is finally now on the big screen in America. Now that the movie is out you simply have to go and see it! This movie is only the second time David Belle has graced the presence of a theatrical release in the United States as a star of the film. And if the guns, explosions, fight sequences, and chase scenes aren’t enough to keep you strapped to your seat for the duration, David’s athleticism, talent, and fearless performance most definitely will. The film is on limited release so we recommend going to the following Fandango link to find a theater that is playing it near you.

http://www.fandango.com/district13:ultimatum_128558/movietimes?date

Don’t miss this rare chance to see David Belle on the big screen in Banlieue 13 Ultimatum. Even though the film is now playing in U.S. theaters, we don’t know how long it will continue playing! So take the day off, spend a night out, or do whatever you have to do to get to the theater and watch this film. It’ll be one of the most exciting and adrenaline packed movies you’ll go to all year.

We are very excited to announce that we are now selling official movie posters from David Belle’s films including posters from Banlieue 13 and Banlieue 13 Ultimatum! Late last night we released two posters on our site with more to come.

The two posters we released are original movie posters from District B13 (also known by it’s French title Banlieue 13) and Banlieue 13 Ultimatum (also know by it’s English title District 13 Ultimatum). Both posters are manufactured on high quality card stock and are 11”x17” in size (approx. 28cmx43cm). This sizing includes a one inch white border around the artwork. Both posters feature David Belle and Cyril Raffaelli who are the co-stars in the films.

These posters are official movie posters from the films, and with Banlieue 13 Ultimatum releasing in U.S. theaters tomorrow this poster release in just in time! Now you can  be one of the first to own a piece of Parkour history through these movies. They are incredibly priced only $19.95 each so buy one today!

We have already mentioned it twice on the Take Flight Facebook page, but this will be the first time we have written about it here: Banlieue 13 Ultimatum starring David Belle, the sequel to the iconic and pioneering Banlieue 13 released in 2004, is set to release in the U.S. in less than a month! Initially released in France on February 18, 2009, the movie has premiered in countries around the world and is now set to debut in the U.S on February 5^th.

We have never been more excited for a film’s release! To see David return to the big screen with co-star Cyril Raffaelli in a story written by the internationally acclaimed director and producer Luc Besson, is so momentous an occasion that we have decided to dedicate the entire month to the film. For the next 29 days we will be posting daily looks at the film, including pictures, videos, and interviews, on our Facebook fan page for our followers to watch, discuss, and share.

Banlieue 13 is considered to be the greatest Parkour film of all time. Setting a new precedent for athleticism and true to life action within the creative capabilities of film making, the sequel Banlieue 13 Ultimatum is sure to be a continuation of what was started in the original. We hope you join us in getting amped for this film’s release, and most importantly, set the day aside in your schedule to go see the film when it is finally unveiled on February 5^th.

We want to start the year off right by staying true to what brought us here; David Belle.

Included below is one of the most comprehensive and insightful interviews ever recorded with David. In the interview, conducted a few months after the European release of Banlieue 13 – Ultimatum, David speaks extensively about a wide range of subjects including his transition from being a fireman into being an actor, training and learning Parkour from his father, and his future plans as they pertain to practicing Parkour and pursuing knowledge and activities in other facets of life. We hope this interview is an insightful look for you into Parkour and David’s heart for the discipline which we strive to perpetuate through Take Flight and the Parkour clothing and products we produce.

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Why have you decided to move from being a fireman to being an actor/stuntman?

Firstly, after being a fireman, I went into the army. I was in the Marine Infantry. It was a coincidence I found myself in movies. It was not a vocation. Not something I wanted to do since I was little. What I wanted was to make my sport known: that Parkour become recognized. My brother showed my small videos to the media and they got interested; which brought me to movies. But acting wasn’t something I originally wanted to do. Now that I am in that field; I enjoy it and I am not going to waste the opportunity. If there are opportunities for me in movies, I will take them. Otherwise I will move on to something else. However, for the moment I am not thinking of making a career in that area. I was more than happy with the first District B13. It was already enough for me to be able to tell that to my kids. When I finished working on B13, I told myself: “Even if there is only that one, I am happy enough that Parkour brought me to do that; to be able to show Parkour to the public and make myself known”. For the rest, let’s not make plans on what is and what is not going to happen.

You’re talking as if you haven’t made any decisions by yourself, as if it just all happened by accident…

But it did all happen just like that! I never had any kind of strategy. I never tried to sell myself to act in movies. I never asked for anything. It all started with the documentary that has been shown on TV. From there I took what people offered. Even the last thing, Prince of Persia, I did not ask for that job, it is them who contacted me while I was filming in B13 Ultimatum. They called me like four times, insisting for me to work with them. I was working on another movie at the time so we agreed that I would work for them on my free days. Parkour is being integrated everywhere in movies now, as soon as there is a little race or a jump they use Parkour. We clearly notice it now, the jumps are different.

What are the differences between preparing yourself for stunts in a movie and your own training?

I do it about the same. Parkour, I am finished with it now. People are starting to get interested in that art, but me I have already explored it a lot. I also have a lot of interests in other things. When someone talks to me about Parkour I am not going to say “It’s too late”; most of the time I answer “You should have come when I was 20 years old. I was really motivated at that time! I was into Parkour every second of my life.” Now I could learn to play music, like the guitar or whatever; what’s important is that I want to learn other things. Parkour is not the only thing in life. People tell me “Parkour kicks ass, I have to do it!” I have interests in other things too. Parkour is a training method men should train because it helps you displace yourself in urban or natural environments and learning to adapt yourself to it. However, for me, learning to do stuff like cooking is as important as doing Parkour. Knowing how to repair a car, how to help someone who’s having a cardiac arrest etc. For me those are the basics of life. I am not like an old martial artist at 80 years old who’s always practicing the same punches. It’s even likely that the guy has never fought for his life and I would like to tell him “Stop punching, relax yourself, live normally; enjoy your life,” because there is too much rigidity when people focus too much on something. And I don’t want to end up like that. When you’re getting your first aid diploma, you are not going to be saving people every day it’s more “if something happens, I will know what to do.” I’ve always trained Parkour with the same mentality. So fuck people who tell me “Hey do a demo! or something…”, I never trained Parkour to perform or show off. To me, Parkour is something personal. It just happened to get popular. I’m not the one who put it on the internet.

Is the reason for your disagreement with the Yamakasi about them moving Parkour into movies and shows?

No. But when I really think about it, there is no issue with the Yamakasi. I only practice what my dad taught me. When you listen to them, they’ll tell you they do something they created themselves. And we all live at the same place. The group Yamakasi does not even exist anymore, everyone went away; now it’s called “Majestic Force thingy”. When it was Yamakasi they were like “We are Yamakasi, it’s the sport”; now they are moving towards PG Tips because this project is working well. And I ask myself, why is that? We had a simple sport, why does everyone want to give it a new name? “It’s like Parkour but it’s called Free Running style thingy…”. But it is Parkour! When you go in any other country around the world you say “I play soccer or volleyball”. The name of the sport does not change. So why change the name of Parkour unless you want to do some kind of business and be able to say “I am the creator of this new sport, exactly like Parkour except that you only jump on one leg”? Change one thing to say that you are the creator of something and be able to make some money from it. The goal of Parkour is not to make money or create a business. There is no financial goal behind it. Parkour should be taught to people who want to learn. If they don’t have money it does not matter because you don’t need any to do it, just a pair of good shoes and that’s all. Now people are like “Beware! The Academy is gonna open!” or “There’s gonna be a Parkour center bla bla bla.” But me, I learned Parkour outside! The real Parkour training is to be done outside. You can do whatever with your centers, put some mats down, but people will always end up going outside.

What necessity made you create Parkour?

It was my dad who taught it to me. I had seen and heard a lot of things he did as a fireman – he was a true legend. And I wanted to know his history. Either my dad was gifted and in that case I would never be able to be like him, or either he had trained to get that good and in that case he probably has something to teach me. I then realized how much training he had done. He trained like I never have done in my life. Compared with him I am a little kid who’s playing. When I think about all the physical training he went through I tell myself “Is that the price to pay to get that good? Fuck it’s really hard!” Many people pay to get trained, but I reckon if any of them would have trained with him only one day, none of them would have ever come back. That’s how hard it is. So many people try to train easy “Come do Parkour! It’s really cool!” But if tomorrow I made you do real training, you would end up crying. That’s what you need to know: you are going to cry, you are going to bleed and you are going to sweat like never before. I can’t lie to you about that. Now if you come telling me “Hey I want to learn Parkour, but go easy on me, I don’t want to push too much,” well go do something else! It is for warriors. A training method for warriors. It is not like “I want to learn how to fight; but please don’t hit me too hard because I don’t like it.” If that’s the case, go do something else! If you want to be a real warrior you have to go through hard times.

What use has Parkour?

Easy, we have two hands: it’s to grab things. We can grab things to displace ourselves. We can lift ourselves up. We can jump and run with our legs. We can swim. Instinctively you know you can do these things. When you are swimming you know it is in you. It’s not for nothing. You are not obliged to specialize in them, like become a climbing expert. You can still experience everything and I think that’s what life is about. Don’t close yourself to anything and think you have found the truth and understood life. Many people open their mind through different things like music and painting, as well as Parkour. How is not important. What is important is to open your mind because you gain some freedom through it. I think that when you train Parkour, you realize a bit more about what freedom means especially concerning society. It really opened my mind. But it does not mean it will have the same effect on someone else. What’s good for one is not necessarily good for someone else.

What is the freedom of Parkour?

After a good training session, and good physical preparation, we know exactly what we are capable of, and that we can evolve without being disturbed by others. Still respecting others, but not being disturbed by them. Now I often have to justify myself; particularly with cops. But on the other hand I understand them, when they see me climbing stuff they can think that I’ve stolen something. There are many difficult moments like that so I am thinking of moving to another country like Thailand or even the UK, anywhere where cops are not such a pain.

Even the UK?

Yes! Even if there are too many cameras over there. Cops know what Parkour is. Whereas in France they are being such a pain even though the sport was developed here. It has been 10 or 15 years since Parkour was first given media coverage in France and no one knows about it. I am always being asked the same questions over and over. When we are in the street, it is exactly like 15 years ago when it all started. This frustrates me because public perception hasn’t been evolving as fast as Parkour itself has been. If only we had the resources to really create something good, but we haven’t. At the moment everyone is trying to make it his own way, we are all going in circles; but it could all have been done a long time ago! I wouldn’t be surprised if the things I would like to do are only going to happen when I am 60 years old and I won’t be able to move like I do today. What I would like to achieve is something better; something really close to the street. Maybe just a place where we can gather everyone outside. I would like to create a foundation and we get 500,000 euros or even 1,000,000; with that I’d say “OK, Let’s invest all that money to make this sort of place for Parkour”. I won’t be like “OK cool, but I’ll take a quarter of it because I am the founder of the discipline”. No! I’m not going to even take a cent. If we get that money it is because people want a place like that. So we use that money to create this place and that’s it. When I think about it, with the money I made from movies and other things, same with the Yamakasi… if we had all gotten together, it would already be done. But instead, everyone did his own way, arguing over and over about where it all started, some who never wanted to admit that it came from one place; well we got divided instead of being united.

We are now in a “divide and conquer” type of strategy.

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If you need a little more insight into B13 – Ultimatum and some of the minor characters in the film this video is sure to give it to you. Providing a behind the scenes look at each of the 5 prominent gangs in the movie, this video goes inside the film like none of our other featurettes have by spending time with each of the gang’s perspective bosses.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGA_jQS6m_0

Yesterday we posted a David Belle focused behind the scenes look at the recently released blockbuster B13 – Ultimatum. The video below is the compliment to that video; a behind the scenes look at the film focused around David’s co-star Cyril Raffaelli.

More of a fighter than a runner when compared to David, Cyril added a dynamic to the film that made him a perfect co-star to David. The differences between the two actor’s styles are shown incredibly well when this video is contrasted with the previous video. Watch and enjoy, and if you would like to watch that previous behind the scenes look featuring David Belle please click here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DNe21YML_Pc