DAY FIVE  November 7, 2005
BUCKLE BROTHERS' Marquette Williams Weighs in on Mentorship
by Peter Martin
Lil Ron, Yah-Ya, Mike and Jazmine blaze their own unique trail as young urban cowboys in Marquette Williams' documentary BUCKLE BROTHERS. The real challenge they face is not staying on top of an angry bull for eight seconds, but keeping away from trouble
in their native habitats of Compton and South Central Los Angeles.
Clearly, this is not your standard-issue horse opera.
Lil Ron is the natural leader of the group; his goal is to win "Rookie of the Year" on the Bill Pickett
Rodeo circuit. Beyond the title, though, he wants to be a mentor. According
to Williams, "Lil Ron says it best: 'If you think you're bad enough to be a gang banger, come get on top of some of these bulls.' That's a great challenge to these young men. Ultimately, he's giving them a choice. Here he is, 23-years-old, grabbing kids who are 15, 16, 17, 18 years old, and he's saying, 'Instead of gang banging, instead of selling drugs, come and do this. If you're bad enough to rob somebody, you're bad enough to ride this bull. And you can make some good, honest, clean money.'"
The theme of mentorship resonates strongly with Williams.
He started creating his own comic books and plays at the age of 12, though it was a college class that changed his life when he realized he could make "really cool, interesting
stories." After forming Neopolitan Pictures with filmmaking partner Marcus Franklin, Williams wrote more than 20 scripts, and the company
made two shorts. He credits several AFI graduates as sources of inspiration and motivation.
"Marcus' father, [director] Carl Franklin, graduated from there; he's also one of my mentors. Another mentor of ours, M. A. Solomon, graduated
from there," says Williams.
"We wanted to impress the people that have given us support. The best way to repay them is by displaying where that time and energy have gone."
Shot over a period of two and a half years while both Williams and Franklin held down full-time jobs, the trim, 75-minute running time of BUCKLE BROTHERS was whittled down from 170 hours of raw footage. Still, the finished product doesn't shy away from the physically bruising nature of trying to ride a 2,500-pound bull. At one point, a rider is bucked unconscious before he can even get out of the chute.
"In their world, it's a rite of passage," explains Williams. "You're not really a bull rider until you break something or hurt something. You're just a dude getting on cows." Referring to the above-mentioned scene, Williams says: "Two minutes
later he got up and rode that bull! That, to me, is courage."
Los Angeles resident Williams is hopeful that tonight's World Premiere of BUCKLE BROTHERS at AFI FEST 2005--and its subsequent screening on Tuesday, November 8--will lead to greater opportunities
on a personal level, yet he also keeps things in perspective. "Number one, I want the cowboys to be proud of the depiction of their life. I tried to capture it with as much honesty as I could," says Williams. "Next, I hope that Marcus and I can get some exposure. We have a lot of films we want to make. We just need a little money. Third, I hope the cowboys will be able to find some sponsors. There's no insurance;
when these guys get their teeth knocked out, they don't get them back. For Williams, the most important
message of his film is that, for young people, "there are other things you can do to stay out of trouble. Try something
new. Don't just do what people tell you to do. Do what makes you happy."
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