With Help From President Obama, Baseball Doc ‘The Turnaround’ Takes Swing At Oscars

deadline.com:

Former Pres. Obama is going to bat for a baseball-themed documentary. The ex-POTUS sent an Instagram message to his 36 million+ followers on the social media platform, urging them to check out The Turnaround, a short film in Oscar contention directed by Kyle Thrash and co-directed and produced by Oscar winner Ben Proudfoot.

Obama and former First Lady Michelle Obama serve as executive producers of the documentary. “Sports have the power to bring us together – helping change attitudes and culture in ways that may seem subtle, but that ultimately makes us think differently about ourselves,” Obama writes. “The Turnaround follows the story of a devoted baseball fan determined to inspire his city while navigating his own private struggles.

Check it out on Netflix.” The city – Philadelphia. The fan – Jon McCann. The Turnaround dials back to McCann’s upbringing, as a son born to teen parents (mom 14, dad 15) in tight economic circumstances.

People always perceived McCann as a positive guy, yet that masked mental health challenges that left him suicidal at one point in his life.