30th Annual - June 10 - 13, 2010
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Jews and Baseball: An American Love Story
Website
documentary
Running Time: 90
JEWS AND BASEBALL: AN AMERICAN LOVE STORY celebrates the contributions of Jewish major leaguers and the special meaning that baseball has had in the lives of American Jews. The latest documentary by award-winning filmmaker Peter Miller (A CLASS APART, SACCO AND VANZETTI) it brings its stories to life through a compelling cast of characters, passionate interviews, and stunning archival materials. We will meet Andy Cohen, a light-hitting second baseman brought to the New York Giants to attract Jewish fans; the powerful slugger Hank Greenberg, who transformed the nation's perception of Jews; the enigmatic catcher and WWII spy Moe Berg; the fiercely proud all-star third baseman Al Rosen; Sandy Koufax, the greatest left-handed pitcher in the history of baseball and a hero to generations of Jews for not pitching on Yom Kippur; and modern-day stars like Shawn Green, Ryan Braun and Kevin Youkilis, who most fans do not even know are Jews and may be the best evidence of how fully Jews have assimilated into the American mainstream. More than a film about sports, this is a story of immigration, assimilation, bigotry, heroism, the passing on of traditions, and the shattering of stereotypes. The story is brought to life through a script by Pulitzer Prize-winning former New York Times columnist Ira Berkow, along with interviews with a passionate and articulate group of on-screen commentators. Interviews include the legendary ballplayers Al Rosen and Sandy Koufax (who consented to this rare interview); Hall of Fame pitcher Bob Feller, who lost his record-setting 18-strikeout game to Harry Eisenstat, a Jewish pitcher from Brooklyn; the legendary Yogi Berra; Ron Blomberg, baseball's first designated hitter; Dodgers catcher Norm Sherry, who offered the advice Koufax needed in order to achieve greatness; White Sox left-hander Marv Rotblatt, at 5' 6' possibly the shortest pitcher in baseball history; Elliott Maddox, an African American player who converted to Judaism while playing for the Yankees; plus younger stars including Steve Stone, Shawn Green and Kevin Youkilis. We have also filmed with Baseball Commissioner Bud Selig;
Producer: William Hechter
Director: Peter Miller
Screenwriter: Ira Berkow
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