EXCLUSIVE: Travon Free and Samir Hernandez, two of the key creatives behind last year’s Best Live-Action Short Oscar winner Two Distant Strangers, today unveiled 38 at the Garden, a new documentary project examining the cultural impact of NBA trailblazer Jeremy Lin and the cultural phenomenon known as “Linsanity” that surrounded him during his 2011-12 season with the New York Knicks.The short from director Frank Chi revisits the athlete’s unlikely story 10 years down the line, in a hostile time for Asian Americans, examining how it both gave hope and shattered stereotypes on sports’ biggest stage.
It will debut within the Keeping It Real section of the Tribeca Film Festival’s Shorts Program at BMCC Tribeca Arts Center on June 12.38 at the Garden is the first production from GTG Entertainment.
Chi, Free and Hernandez produced the pic featuring interviews with Lin and fellow pro basketball players Tyson Chandler and Iman Shumpert, journalists including Lisa Ling and Pablo Torre, and the comedians Hasan Minhaj, Jenny Yang and Ronnie Chieng.“On February 10, 2012, in the middle of a miraculous two week stretch of basketball, the whole world watched as an undrafted point guard from Harvard University broke cultural barriers, played the game at the most elite level, and inspired fans and nonfans alike,” said Hernandez. “38 AT THE GARDEN tells the story of Jeremy’s ascent from anonymity to global superstardom and the cultural significance that he had and it continues to have for both Asian Americans and Asians globally.”“Making this film has been such a joy for me because Jeremy’s ‘Linsanity’ run is hands-down my favorite memory as an Asian American.
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