Let It Kill You Series Returns To Rivian South Coast Theater
Let It Kill You: A Skateboarding and Art Series That Doesn’t Hold Back
Directed by Ben McQueen | Produced by Trevar Cushing
Skateboarding has always been more than just a sport—it’s a subculture, a rebellion, and for some, a lifeline. Let It Kill You is a documentary series that peels back the layers of that world, diving headfirst into the lives of skaters who’ve used creativity, chaos, and grit to carve their own path.
Directed by Ben McQueen and produced by Trevar Cushing, the series tells personal, unfiltered stories of transformation—through skateboarding, art, photography, and, in one case, molecular bioscience. From the streets of Finland to the labs of Hawai’i, each episode hits different. It’s raw. It’s personal. And it might just wreck you—in the best way.
🎥 The Arto Saari Story
Premiered at Coast Film & Music Festival 2024
The Film Won CFMF 2024 Cultural Maverick Award
Arto Saari isn’t just a skater. He’s a legend. He blew up in the late '90s with a fearless, fluid style that made him one of the most respected names in skateboarding. But behind the fame was a Finnish kid who moved to the U.S. without speaking a word of English. This episode doesn’t gloss over the hard parts—injuries, burnout, or the quiet moments of doubt that come with living your dream too fast.
Today, Arto’s traded some of the spotlight for life behind the lens as a surf and skate photographer on the North Shore of Oahu. But he’s still pushing boundaries—just with a camera instead of a board. His story isn’t just about skating. It’s about survival, reinvention, and what happens when you decide to build something lasting instead of burning out.
Watch Let It Kill You - The Arto Saari Story on YouTube >>
🎥 Nora Vasconcellos
Premiered at Rivian Theater | March 15, 2025
If you think skateboarding is still a boys’ club, you haven’t seen Nora Vasconcellos in action. She left a small town in Massachusetts, landed in SoCal, and threw herself headfirst into the skate scene. Her breakout with Welcome Skateboards was just the beginning—she quickly became a global icon, blending power with personality, and style with unapologetic weirdness.
This episode captures what makes Nora different: not just her skating, but the joy she brings to it. She's loud, she's honest, she's vulnerable. And that’s exactly why she matters. Nora helped blow the doors open for women in skating—and made space for a new generation to show up fully as themselves. Her story is a masterclass in owning your space and reshaping a culture from the inside out.
🎥 Cliff Kapono
WORLD PREMIERE at Rivian Theater | May 31, 2025 | RESERVE YOUR FREE TICKETS
Dr. Cliff Kapono is what happens when a surfer decides that dropping in on a wave isn’t enough—he wants to save the whole ocean. Born and raised in Hilo, Hawai’i, Cliff is a pro surfer and a molecular bioscientist. Yeah, you read that right. In this episode, Ben McQueen follows Cliff into the water and into the lab, tracing how science, surfing, and Indigenous knowledge collide in one man’s mission to protect the planet.
But this isn’t some feel-good eco-doc. It’s real. It’s rooted. Cliff talks story with surf legends, calls out environmental hypocrisy, and shows how his culture isn’t something he’s trying to preserve—it’s something he’s actively evolving. If you care about land, lineage, or the future of the ocean, this one hits hard.
Why This Series Cuts Deeper
Let It Kill You doesn’t glorify skateboarding—it honors it for what it really is: a way to stay alive. These stories aren’t polished. They’re full of grit, grief, joy, risk, and reckless beauty. And whether it’s a skate icon, a surf scientist, or a punk rock poet on a board, each episode reminds you what’s possible when you go all in.
Check out the playlist of all Let It Kill You Episodes on VICE YouTube >>
Follow @LetItKillYouSeries for screenings, new episodes, and behind-the-scenes chaos.