Social & External
Olivier Dacourt
Jim Plunkett never backed down from adversity. Despite being a major high school recruit, Plunkett’s freshman year at Stanford was a letdown, and his coach tried to replace him at quarterback. He refused to be taken out and eventually became a standout at Stanford, winning the Rose Bowl and Heisman his senior year. The start to his pro career was not very different from his turn in college, starting off slow, being traded to several teams, and eventually landing a backup position with the Raiders. It was only when the starting quarterback got injured that Plunkett was thrust into the role, and ended up leading the Raiders to two Super Bowl victories.
On June 11, 2013, Sebastien de la Cruz stepped onto center court, dressed in his traditional mariachi charro suit, to sing the national anthem before Game 3 of the NBA Finals between the San Antonio Spurs and the Miami Heat. Sebastien’s performance ignited racial tweets and hate-filled comments, but when he returned for Game 4 to sing once again, the cheers in the stands turned from “Go Spurs Go” to “Go Sebastien Go!”
Jennifer Bricker excels in many sports, but her first love was gymnastics. Inspired by Romanian gymnast Dominique Moceanu, part of the 1996 Olympic gold-medalist team, Jennifer became a state champion and Junior Olympian in tumbling despite being born without legs. And when Jennifer turned 16, her adoptive parents revealed that Dominique Moceanu was more than just her hero.
Figure skater Surya Bonaly is most remembered for her amazing one-bladed back flip at the 1998 Winter Olympics, being the only skater to ever complete one in competition at the Olympics. Despite landing the flip on one skate, the judges ruled the move illegal. Bonaly did not medal, but the champion did go out on her own terms, a true “Rebel on Ice.”
Manute Bol stood tall at 7'7. But it's what he stood FOR that defined him.
The moment where American sprinters Tommie Smith and John Carlos raised their gloved hands in defiance on the podium at the 1968 Mexico City Olympics is one of the most memorable images in sports history. But there is a third man in the photo, the white Australian who finished second to Smith and ahead of Carlos in the 200 meters. His name is Peter Norman, and he stands in quiet solidarity with them. Norman’s story is retold in this film with passion and perspective.
Jacques Peretti sets out to find out what happened to the game that obsessed him as a kid. In this documentary, he presents an eye-opening account of the sport's heady popularity in the 1970s and 1980s.
Thirty four years after his father, Nico Rosberg, followed in Keke's footsteps to become Formula 1 World Champion, creating only the second father-son pairing to win the title alongside Graham and Damon Hill. It was a fight that swung back and forth between the two main protagonists. Nico kicked off the season with four consecutive wins while Lewis was slow off the mark thanks to bad starts and poor reliability. Team relations were pushed to the limit as the drivers' rivalry stepped up a gear. With clashes both on and off track, their ruthless pursuit of the title left their relationship in tatters. The drama went down to the final round in Abu Dhabi. Lewis had nothing to lose while Nico had to keep his cool.
Featuring new, previously unseen footage documenting the bizarre and unsettling things that happened to filmmakers David Farrier and Dylan Reeve as Tickled premiered at film festivals and theaters in 2016. Lawsuits, private investigators, disrupted screenings and surprise appearances are just part of what they encounter along the way. Amidst new threats, the duo begins to answer questions that remained once the credits rolled on Tickled, including whether the disturbing behavior they uncovered will ever come to an end.
VISION is a film about inclusivity, standing alongside your heroes and redefining the status quo. VISION blends the creative worlds of Veronique Sandler in a coming together of art, design and sport. Veronique Sandler, a former World Cup racer, has paved her own way in the mountain bike industry away from competition. This is a film about her VISION for the future of a sport. Taking inspiration from the streets, dirt jumping and freeride, this action focused documentary follows Veronique’s journey alongside her heroes as she brings her VISION to life. Working in partnership with Revolution Bike Park in Wales, UK. Together they made a dream a reality. Starring Veronique Sandler and a collective of the best riders from around the world.
Wrestlers Shane Douglas and Chris Candino make their debuts in this television premiere of the XPW Wrestling League -- a concentrated explosion of hardcore wrestling action culminating in the XPW World Championship. Prepare for excitement in the ring from such intrepid fighters as Big Dick Dudley, Homeless Jimmy, "White Trash" Johnny Webb, Kristi Myst, Lizzy Borden, Supreme and the Messiah.
An American story. Traces the career of Joe Louis (1914-1981) within the context of American racial consciousness: his difficulty getting big fights early in his career, the pride of African-Americans in his prowess, the shift of White sentiment toward Louis as Hitler came to power, Louis's patriotism during World War II, and the hounding of Louis by the IRS for the following 15 years. In his last years, he's a casino greeter, a drug user, and the occasional object of scorn for young Turks like Muhammad Ali. Appreciative comment comes from boxing scholars, Louis's son Joe Jr., friends, and icons like Maya Angelou, Dick Gregory, and Bill Cosby.
From a vast record of 750 days, 5000 hours, Official Film of the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 SIDE A and SIDE B are the official documentaries by Naomi Kawase capturing not only the athletes gathered from all over the world, but also their families, people involved in the Games, volunteers, medical personnel, and protesters shouting for the cancellation of the Olympics.
Twenty-five years after the verdict in the Rodney King trial sparked several days of protests, violence and looting in Los Angeles, LA 92 immerses viewers in that tumultuous period through stunning and rarely seen archival footage.
Despite being blocked at almost every turn in pursuit of the sport he loved, Seve Ballesteros fought against adversity to become the most spectacular and charismatic golfer to ever play the game.
A touching story of friendship, struggle and triumph, the film follows the journey of two Somali national soccer team friends chasing their dreams in the face of impossible odds. After surviving two decades of war, Saadiq, 17, and Sa’ad, 19, the team’s most promising stars, enter the only televised match of the year hoping scouts will be watching. With passports of no value on the world stage, soccer may be their only shot to escape a growing terror threat, persecution and poverty. Against the backdrop of fear and shared sacrifice, they embark on separate but equally improbable journeys. In the opportunity of a lifetime, Saadiq sets off for America with dreams of an education and a soccer career. Sa’ad continues his career in Mogadishu with the hopes of someday being reunited with his friend. Their biggest dream is shared – to be symbols of hope to generations who have only known war.
This documentary showcases basketball player Michael Jordan's awe-inspiring moves, providing behind-the-scenes and on-the-court action, including footage of Jordan and the Chicago Bulls going head-to-head against the Utah Jazz in the 1997 NBA Finals. Phil Jackson and Bob Costas are interviewed (among others), and the awesome soundtrack includes songs by Earth, Wind and Fire, Fatboy Slim and Freddie King.
Details the intense rivalry between the Detroit Red Wings and the Colorado Avalanche in the 90’s
For 2009, MSP Films takes an original look at the sport of skiing. All of the skiers in the film—park rat or big mountain charger—share a common bond: the overwhelming desires to ski. Each person finds stoke in his own unique way, whether it be a double cork 1260, a deep turn on a storm day or ripping a giant AK line. Skiing is an incredibly diverse sport that offers it all. With the progressive skiing and award-winning cinematography that has made MSP famous, MSP Films takes you along for the ride deep into the experience as we share the love for the greatest sport in the world.
A chronicle of the rise and fall of O.J. Simpson, whose high-profile murder trial exposed the extent of American racial tensions, revealing a fractured and divided nation.
A detailing of the rise to prominence and global sporting superstardom of six supremely talented young Manchester United football players (David Beckham, Nicky Butt, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Phil and Gary Neville). The film covers the period 1992-1999, culminating in Manchester United's European Cup triumph.
Martin Scorsese’s portrait of writer and social commentator Fran Lebowitz, celebrated for her sharp wit and observations on modern life. Filmed at New York’s Waverly Inn and intercut with archival footage and interviews, the documentary captures Lebowitz’s distinctive worldview through her spontaneous monologues and public appearances.
A feature length, theatrical documentary on the life of Paul Gascoigne, one of the greatest footballers that ever lived: delving deep into his psyche, vulnerabilities, fears and triumphs.
Alexander McQueen's rags-to-riches story is a modern-day fairy tale, laced with the gothic. Mirroring the savage beauty, boldness and vivacity of his design, this documentary is an intimate revelation of McQueen's own world, both tortured and inspired, which celebrates a radical and mesmerizing genius of profound influence.
Police bodycam footage reveals how a long-running neighborhood dispute turned fatal in this documentary about fear, prejudice and Stand Your Ground laws.
Through deeply personal interviews with her siblings and an examination of the photographs, letters, and belongings left behind, Mariska assembles a new portrait of her mother Jayne Mansfield, an extraordinary and complex woman.
Every school day, African-American teenagers William Gates and Arthur Agee travel 90 minutes each way from inner-city Chicago to St. Joseph High School in Westchester, Illinois, a predominately white suburban school well-known for the excellence of its basketball program. Gates and Agee dream of NBA stardom, and with the support of their close-knit families, they battle the social and physical obstacles that stand in their way. This acclaimed documentary was shot over the course of five years.
A documentary about the sport of boxing, as seen through the eyes of champions Mike Tyson, Evander Holyfield and Bernard Hopkins.
A visual montage portrait of our contemporary world dominated by globalized technology and violence.
When Allied forces liberated the Nazi concentration camps in 1944-45, their terrible discoveries were recorded by army and newsreel cameramen, revealing for the first time the full horror of what had happened. Making use of British, Soviet and American footage, the Ministry of Information’s Sidney Bernstein (later founder of Granada Television) aimed to create a documentary that would provide lasting, undeniable evidence of the Nazis’ unspeakable crimes. He commissioned a wealth of British talent, including editor Stewart McAllister, writer and future cabinet minister Richard Crossman – and, as treatment advisor, his friend Alfred Hitchcock. Yet, despite initial support from the British and US Governments, the film was shelved, and only now, 70 years on, has it been restored and completed by Imperial War Museums under its original title "German Concentration Camps Factual Survey".
An inspirational story about the power of hope in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds, and an object lesson in what it really means to be a winner in life.
The life of Bambi, a male roe deer, from his birth through childhood, the loss of his mother, the finding of a mate, the lessons he learns from his father, and the experience he gains about the dangers posed by human hunters in the forest.
Nine filmmakers each profile a young girl from a different part of the world to weave a global tapestry of youth in the 21st century.
Constructed from over 500 hours of never-before-seen footage, this documentary centers on the personal life and career of the controversial football player Diego Maradona who played for SSC Napoli and Argentina in the 1980s.
Filmmaker Christopher Quinn observes the ordeal of three Sudanese refugees -- Jon Bul Dau, Daniel Abul Pach and Panther Bior -- as they try to come to terms with the horrors they experienced in their homeland, while adjusting to their new lives in the United States.
In 1936, Victor H. Green (1892-1960) published The Negro Motorist Green Book, a book that was both a travel guide and a survival manual, to help African-Americans navigate safe those regions of the United States where segregation and Jim Crow laws were disgracefully applied.
This sports documentary tells the story of the Williams Formula 1 team founded by the legendary Sir Frank Williams
A documentary on the expletive's origin, why it offends some people so deeply, and what can be gained from its use.
Ten of Muhammad Ali's former rivals pay tribute to the three-time world heavyweight champion.
