Filmmaker Travon Free teamed up with Blink49 Creator Studios and 1Community to create a documentary that examines how everyday New Yorkers reacted to the New York Knicks’ underdog victory in last month’s NBA Finals.
The as-yet-untitled project will be produced through Freelance’s The Unreasnble production banner in association with Outerboro Films. The film will follow four New Yorkers from four different boroughs on June 13th as their team heads toward its first NBA Finals championship since 1973. The long-suffering team’s come-from-behind victory captivated the imaginations of casual sports fans across the five boroughs and beyond.
“This is a story about the resilience, passion, and undying hope of everyday New Yorkers: the bodega owner, the doorman, the cab driver, the die-hard Knicks fan who loves and knows the joys and pains of belonging to one of the greatest cities on earth,” said director Freeh, who won an Oscar in the live-action short film category for 2021’s “Strangers.” “It’s a love letter to a woman who has been going to Knicks games with her mother since she was 5 years old, an old stoop from Brooklyn who still talks about the time she saw Willis Reed play with one leg. It’s all about so much more than basketball.”
The project will be supported by producer and financier Scott Budnick’s 1Community banner. 1Community is a production company focused on projects that drive social impact.
“The Knicks captured the nation’s attention at a time when they really needed something fun to rally around,” said Budnick, founder and CEO of 1Community. “This project is a testament and a love letter to the people of New York City and all of our loyal fans who never lost hope and showed the world the tremendous power of coming together.”
The untitled doc will also be produced by Daniel Lombroso (“Manhood”), Kelly Mack (“Manhood”) and Frank Chee (“38 at the Garden”).
“Blink49 was founded to support creators who tell stories that matter, and this is exactly that: a slice of New York history captured as it happened,” said Mickey Meyer, president of Blink49 Creator Studios. “Partnering with Outerboro and 1Community to move forward at the speed this moment demands is what independent filmmaking should be.”
Other freelance credits include work as a writer for “The Daily Show” and “Full Frontal With Samantha Bee.”
(Photo: Travon Free, Mickey Meyer, Scott Budnick)
