Slaying Goliath

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Directed by Michele Stephenson & Joe Brewster

Presented in partnership with Film at International House

co-director Michele Stephenson in person

Slaying Goliath (USA, 2009, 82 min) takes a charged look at 10 days in the life of a boys’ fifth grade basketball club from Harlem, New York. The film follows the children's parents, including the filmmakers and their own son, who is on the team - as they travel to the AAU National Championships in Cocoa Beach, Florida. Whole worlds are laid bare with skillful economy, as grown ups and coaches grapple with the sometimes diverging demands of parenting and winning. The difficulties of raising black boys, as well as the difficulties of being a real team, come to the fore as the group crumbles, while tantalizing questions of how filmmakers should document the events of their own lives hovers around Goliath’s edges.

ALSO SCREENING: Camden High (2009, 20 min)
Directed by Anthony Loren Normil
This documentary highlights the Camden High School basketball program which was headed by Coach Clarence Turner for over 35 years. Despite many set backs that the teams has experienced over the years, Camden High and Coach Turner has produced some of the greatest athletes in the State of New Jersey who have gone on the play professional sports in both the NBA and NLF.

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The Rada Film Group began in 1992 as a partnership between Joe Brewster and Michèle Stephenson with a mission: to create compelling visual stories that provoke thought about the complex multicultural world we live in. While raising a family during the intervening years, Michèle and Joe produced narrative films, documentaries and new media that have challenged and inspired audiences across the globe. Joe and Michèle’s films have screened at the Sundance Film Festival, the Toronto Film Festival, the Locarno International Film Festival, Silverdocs and many other forums. Their work has been broadcast on PBS, Showtime, MTV and other outlets. Stephenson and Brewster are currently directing and producing An American Promise, a 12-year documentary study of two African-American boys’ experiences at an elite prep school in New York City, scheduled for completion in 2012.
http://radafilm.com/
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Producers’ Forums are supported by the National Endowment for the Arts, Philadelphia Cultural Fund, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, and the Independence Foundation