It was my first time inside The Bodega, and it didn’t take long to clock what kind of venue this…
By K Futur MusicDerby’s skate community came out in force on Saturday 7th February as REPENT, the latest skate film by Forde Brookfield, received its official big-screen premiere at QUAD.
We had already covered REPENT in an earlier article, but this was something else entirely. This was the moment the film properly landed. Free entry, a packed theatre, and a crowd stacked wall-to-wall with local skaters, many of them carrying boards straight into the auditorium. From the off, it felt less like a standard screening and more like a genuine skate event.
Before the lights went down, Forde took to the stage to introduce the film. The response from the crowd said everything. Loud cheers, genuine anticipation, and that familiar buzz you only get when something meaningful to a scene is about to unfold.
An opening made for the big screen
REPENT opens with a short animated sequence showing Forde in Hell, pleading with the Devil to be sent back because the film still isn’t finished. The Devil agrees and fires him back into reality. It is tongue-in-cheek, self-aware, and sets the tone perfectly before the title card slams in and the film wastes no time getting into the skating.
From there, it is straight into three years’ worth of footage. Filmed across Derby, other UK locations, and over in the States, the film feels expansive without losing its grounding in the local scene that shaped it.
Heavy skating and a stacked cast
The skating speaks for itself. Standout sections from the core crew deliver consistently throughout, with footage from Matt Tomasello, Chris “Avi” Atherton, Will Sayer, Rasheed Osman, Joe Markham, John Benton, and Dead Dave forming the backbone of the film.
Alongside them are appearances from an impressive list of special guests, including Tony Hawk, Mike Simons, Andy Anderson, Christopher Hiett, Wes Morgan, Justin Reynolds, and many more. These moments never feel shoehorned in. Instead, they add weight to the project and underline just how far REPENT reaches beyond its Derby roots.
A crowd fully locked in
What really elevated the night was the audience. There was constant participation throughout, clapping, cheering, and reacting to make-or-break moments on screen. You could feel how invested everyone was. So much so that when the film ended and immediately rolled again, a large portion of the crowd stayed put to watch it all the way through a second time.
When the final credits hit for the second run, the reaction was huge. A proper roar of cheers that felt fully earned.
Old-school releases and a healthy scene
Keeping things true to skate video tradition, copies of REPENT were available on VHS and DVD, a nod to the culture that shaped projects like this long before streaming and algorithms took over.
The premiere itself was a reminder of just how strong Derby’s skate scene remains. With a new skatepark on the way and Rollersnakes having supported and sustained local skating for decades, events like this feel both important and timely.
A proper win for Derby skateboarding
Seeing REPENT premiered at QUAD, on a proper cinema screen, surrounded by the people who helped shape the scene it represents, felt right. This was more than just a screening. It was a celebration of time, commitment, community, and doing things the hard way.
Massive credit to Forde and the Baghead crew for delivering not only a genuinely solid, old-school skate video, but also a well-run, memorable event. Derby needs more nights like this, and if the reaction to REPENT is anything to go by, the appetite is definitely there.
