A Little OT: Dominican Baseball Documentary

by TheTruth11 on Apr 14, 2009 10:29 PM CDT

So I've been meaning to post some info about this project for some time. A very good friend of mine and some of his film school companions have been living in the Dominican Republic for several months now shooting a baseball documentary entitled "Live to Play, Play to Live." The movie details the struggle of several young peloteros as they attempt to earn the ultimate goal for themselves and their families: a big league contract. They had a chance to spend a day at the Cubs camp in the DR and actually got to stand behind the backstop and watch Sori, Rami, and Felix square off in a home run derby. Here's a photo of the winner from their flickr page:

IMG_1625 (via GuaguaProductions)

I'm going to include a few links, including their website (Guagua Productions), as well as their blog. They post clips of the film semi-frequently on both and it really does look incredible. Think of it as Hoop Dreams, only supplant Chicago basketball with DR baseball. They are always looking for press and donations, so if you'd lile to know more, feel free to contact me and I can provide any information necessary. Links:

Home Page

Blog

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This looks great, +1 from me.

Thanks for the update, I would appreciate you updating us when the film is done and available for DVD purchase. I spent a few minutes on both sites; the film looks pretty in-depth in its discussion of the double-edged sword of MLB acting as the only outlet for some of these children. Have their been films like this before? I Googled “Guagua” simply because it reminded me of this clip from Caddyshack when Carl Spackler talks about his experience with the Dali Lama and “Gunga Galunga”, but apparently Guagua means a baby, a bus, or some place in the Philippines. Do you know their reference to it? Random, I know.

Anyway, it sounds like a neat production. Thanks for the nod.

Dan

Evey Hammond: Vi Veri Veniversum Vivus Vici. V: By the power of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe.

by dtpollitt on Apr 14, 2009 11:25 PM CDT reply actions

This video on their blog is a good introduction of one of the boys.

Dan

Evey Hammond: Vi Veri Veniversum Vivus Vici. V: By the power of truth, I, while living, have conquered the universe.

by dtpollitt on Apr 14, 2009 11:31 PM CDT up reply actions

There's also a feature film

(fictional characters) out in theaters right now about a Dominican ball player called Sugar. It’s gotten great reviews from what I’ve seen. From the NY Times review:

“Sugar, which follows a young pitcher from a training camp in the Dominican Republic to a minor-league club in Iowa (and beyond), is infused with a deep affection for baseball, the rhythms of which are nimbly captured by a narrative pace and editing style that quicken and relax as necessary. The small details and rituals of the game — the locker room banter, the on-field surges of intensity and the tedium of the dugout — are captured with subtlety and without egg-headed, glorious-pastime sententiousness.>>

See here: http://movies.nytimes.com/2009/04/03/movies/03suga.html

It might be interesting to see these back to back as compliments to each other.

by madmf on Apr 15, 2009 8:54 AM CDT reply actions