“When everyone in the world left me, all I had was my skateboard and my dream,” Leandre Sanders

Juno Films has acquired the world rights to the critically-acclaimed documentary SKATEGOAT by Van Alpert. Winner of the Audience Award for Best Australian Documentary at the Sydney Film Festival and Best Documentary at the British Urban Film Festival (BUFF). SKATEGOAT is set for a limited U.S. theatrical release in the winter of 2025. It will have its US theatrical premier on November 12th at the NoHo Laemmle theatre in Los Angeles with an introduction by Gwyneth Paltrow, followed by a week-long run with additional markets to follow. 

Leandre Sanders, known as “the man with no stance,” is the first skater in history to switch effortlessly between goofy (right foot forward) and regular (left foot forward) stances. Yet Skategoat is more than a sports narrative; it’s a compelling insight into what it takes to survive and thrive against a background of impossible choices.

Born in Venice Beach, Los Angeles, Leandre’s parents were OGs and Leandre’s childhood was marked by homelessness and violence.  At age 11, he and his younger brother Leontay found refuge in the Venice Beach skatepark. It was there that filmmaker Van Alpert met Leandre and began documenting his life, providing the boys with GoPros and cameras, creating a raw, unique use of home videos that forms the backbone of Skategoat.

At 13, amid a rapidly deteriorating domestic situation, Leandre’s family moved to Las Vegas, but he chose to stay behind, at times sleeping in the skate bowl to hold onto the one thing that sustained him: skateboarding. Over the next few years, Skategoat traces his brother-like bond with his best friend Haden, the generosity of a local woman named Katie who looked out for the two boys, and later, the relationship with Chauntelle, who helped Leandre break free from the constant anxieties of the atmosphere of Venice Beach. With her support, he escaped to Melbourne, where he perfected his unique skating stance and grew his social media profile exponentially. Today Leandre is a Pro Skater, with a signature board, and skate shoe, and sometime model for international luxury brands, including Prada.

SKATEGOAT recounts both the relentless drive it takes to go pro, including interviews with skateboarding icon Tony Hawk, as well as the realities of living without a home as young kid on the streets of LA. Set against the grittily evocative backdrop of Venice Beach, the film spans a decade of decline in Los Angeles. While Leandre clung to skateboarding as a lifeline, his younger brother and best friend, Leontay, was caught up in a cycle of crime, eventually ending up in prison. 

Ellen Fisk describes the film as “A powerful coming-of-age documentary that blends captivating archive with a moving story of resilience, injustice, and brotherhood…Skategoat reminds us that passion is more than a pastime — it can be an occupation, a lifeline, and a form of resistance.”

The deal was negotiated between Edwina Waddy of Roadshow Films and Vondah Elizabeth Sheldon, CEO of Juno Films. “Leandre is the rare survivor who through sport escapes the destiny he was born into,” says Vondah Elizabeth. “He is an inspiration of the possibilities that await those with talent, determination and passion, and let us not forget love and support. We are thrilled to be working with the team behind SKATEGOAT to bring it to screens of all sizes to skateboarding fans and those who love inspirational documentaries.” 

“The last 10 years have been an incredible, soul enriching ride with Pro Skater Leandre and Film Director Van Alpert, making this incredible story of hope, resilience, belief and determination, As film makers and story tellers, we have made documentaries and TV series over many decades about the triumph of family, found family and the enduring human spirit but SKATEGOAT is our proudest to date. We are thrilled in the way the film has been received on the international film festival circuit and so excited to see Juno release this in the US and around the world,” states Michael Lawrence, Skategoat EP & Producer at This Film Studio

Juno Films is a boutique film distributor specializing in all-rights releases. Recent releases include the critically-acclaimed THAT THEY MAY FACE THE RISING SUN  and the award-winning Irish documentary HOUSEWIFE OF THE YEAR. SKATEGOAT is a Michael Lawrence Production starring Leandre Sanders, directed by Van Alpert. Producers: Michael Lawrence, Nick Cook. Executive Producers: Gwyneth Paltrow, Brad Falchuk, Justin Graham, Joel Pearlman, Peter Kline, Taylor Steele, Edwina Waddy.