~The series begins on 11th June with Ceasefire Massacre, by Alex Gibney, director of Taxi to the Dark Side that won an Oscar for Best Documentary in 2007~
Mumbai, 6 June 2017: ESPN, in collaboration with Sony Pictures Network, presents ESPN Films, a series of documentary films showcasing the most compelling and original sports stories. ESPN Films is a series that discovers themes beyond sports. This June, ESPN and Sony Pictures Network will showcase four of its critically-acclaimed documentaries, from Oscar, Emmy and Peabody Award-winning directors of ESPN Films on SONY ESPN and SONY ESPN HD channels every Sunday.
From a social lens, the directors highlight athletes, events and their intersections. The topics range from political encroachment into the world of football, to the challenges faced by the first woman hired as assistant coach of an all men’s basketball team. The story of Audrey Mestre and her attempt to deep dive 561 feet in the Atlantic Ocean and the tale of Dominique Wilkins and the harassment he suffered from his own fans. Such riveting themes surrounding real life champions will captivate audiences who are looking for stories that speak of survival, grit and determination.
ESPN Films schedule for the month of June:
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Film
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Director
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Time and Date
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Ceasefire Massacre
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Alex Gibney
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12pm IST, June 11, 2017, Sunday
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Nine for IX - No Limits
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Alison Ellwood
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12pm IST, June 18, 2017, Sunday
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Coach Bernie
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Lisa Lax and Nancy Stern
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12pm IST, June 25, 2017, Sunday
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Dominique Belongs To Us
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Kenan Holley
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12pm IST, July 2, 2017,Sunday
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ESPN Films are a series of documentaries that aim to showcase the individual journeys of legends, in collaboration with a diverse range of prolific filmmakers. Launched in March 2008, ESPN Films has been on the forefront for documentary filmmaking, producing more than 100 documentaries that have showcased some of the most compelling stories in sports.
- DESCRIPTIONS OF ESPN DOCUMENTARY FILMS SCHEDULED FOR THE MONTH OF June 2017 -
ESPN Films Documentaries
“Ceasefire Massacre”
sans-serif; font-size: 11pt; margin: 0in 0in 0.0001pt; text-align: justify;">Directed by Alex Gibney – at 12 pm, June 11, 2017, Sunday
New Jersey, June 18th 1994. Giants Stadium is awash with green as Irish soccer fans arrive to watch Ireland’s opening World Cup match against the mighty Italy. The sense of optimism is infectious. The Celtic Tiger is in its infancy, Bill Clinton’s decision to grant a visa to Irish Republican leader Gerry Adams has propelled the peace process forward and Jack Charlton’s team are walking onto the pitch before 75,000 fervent spectators made up of Irish, Italians and Americans of Irish and Italian decent. Amongst the fans is Irish Prime Minister Albert Reynolds who is sitting with members of an American group who’ve been working behind-the-scenes to end the conflict in Northern Ireland. The electrifying mood is shared by the 15 Catholic men watching the match in the Heights Bar, a tiny pub in the Northern Irish Village of Loughin Island, 21 miles south of Belfast. At the half, the Irish are remarkably ahead 1-0. Shortly after the second half begins, two masked gunmen belonging to a Protestant terror group burst into the Heights Bar. Thirty rounds are fired and six innocent men watching a soccer match were killed. Ceasefire Massacre will reveal how the juxtaposition of the jubilation felt inside Giants Stadium against the horrors of what happened in the Heights Bar, encapsulated the mood of the time. After 25-years of conflict, Ireland and her people longed for peace and prosperity but the brutalities of the violence in the North were never far from the surface. The gunning down of innocent men as they watched a soccer match marked both a low-point and a turning-point in the Northern Ireland conflict; one that would ultimately lead to the paramilitaries on both sides calling ceasefires just weeks later.
“Nine for IX - No Limits”
Directed by Alison Ellwood – at 12 pm, June 18, 2017, Sunday
As a teenager, Audrey Mestre suffered from scoliosis, but in those formative years, she discovered a passion for the ocean. It offered her a sense of freedom, and the burdens she faced on dry land soon dissipated as she slipped below the surface. In the final stages of her PH.D., Mestre was drawn to Cabo San Lucas where she became infatuated with free-diver Pipin Ferreras, a Cuban defector whose dives had put him at the forefront of the sport. The two became a couple and Mestre followed the elusive, often raucous Pipin on his almost spiritual quest to push his limits underwater. Soon enough, Mestre moved from support team member to ardent free-diver and then to a world-class competitor who outshone her husband. In 2002, after news arrived that a rival female diver named Tanya Streeter had successfully gone to a record-breaking 525 feet, Pipin began preparations for Mestre to make a 561-foot dive off the coast of the Canary Island. Having completed practice dives even deeper in the weeks leading up to the record attempt, Mestre was prepared. But because of a fateful decision before the dive, Mestre never resurfaced alive.
“Coach Bernie”
Directed By Lisa Lax and Nancy Stern – 12pm, June 25, 2017, Sunday
Bernadette Locke is a pioneer in basketball. The first woman hired as an assistant coach of a men’s college basketball team, she joined Rick Pitino’s staff at Kentucky in 1990. Their mission was to revitalize the traditional power. The challenge, being a young woman giving orders in a locker room full of young men.
Dominique Belongs To Us
Directed by Kenan Holley – 12pm, July 2, 2017, Sunday
“The Human Highlight Film" is the story of Dominique Wilkins one of basketball’s most thrilling players. In 1979 Dominique was a high school hero, two-time state champion, and the toast of his hometown Washington, NC. But when he chose the University of Georgia over nearby NC State the adoration turned to anger. The harassment he and his family experienced hurt the 17-year-old Dominique. So much so that he never went back. Until now.
ESPN IN INDIA
India is a key part of ESPN’s growth – in the Asia-Pacific region and globally – and its presence in the country is powered by the potent combination of ESPN’s leadership in digital sports and its long-term SONY ESPN collaboration with Sony Pictures Networks India.
Serving the massive and vibrant sports fan community with entertaining, insightful and high-quality products and content, across digital devices and television, is at the core of ESPN’s strategy in India and the subcontinent. With offices in Bangalore and Mumbai, it boasts a world-class team that includes technologists, developers, editors, journalists and more that make up ESPN’s largest technology and digital editorial teams outside the United States.
ESPNcricinfo, already the ultimate destination for authentic, unbiased cricket news, analysis, statistics and scores, continues serving Indian cricket fans as it has for over 24 years.
About the Sports Cluster, Sony Pictures Networks India:
SONY SIX, India’s Premier Sports Entertainment Channel, was launched in 2012 and is the first sports channel owned and operated by Sony Pictures Networks India (SPN). In January 2016, SPN expanded its sports cluster in collaboration with ESPN to launch the SONY ESPN cluster of channels.
The Sports cluster of Sony Pictures Networks India has rights to broadcast some exclusive domestic and international sporting content including; The VIVO IPL, 2014 FIFA World Cup™, UEFA EURO 2016, Qualifiers for UEFA EURO 2016, European Qualifiers for 2018 FIFA World Cup™, 2018 FIFA World Cup™, The Emirates FA Cup, LaLiga Santander, Tim Serie A, Copa America, The Australian Open, ATP World Tour Masters 1000 events, ATP World Tour 500 events, ATP World Tour Finals, The Champions Tennis League, The NBA, TNA IMPACT WRESTLING and The Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC).
