presents
a Woody Creek Production
in association with Flying Spot Pictures
a film by Ward Serrill
Running time is 98 minutes and will be released June 2006.
Press Contacts:
MIRAMAX
NY
Jayna Zelman
(212) 219-4143
jayna.zelman@miramax.com
LA
Andrew Bernstein
(323) 822-4133
andrew.bernstein@miramax.com
THE DART GROUP
Tom Piechura
(212) 277-7552
tompiechura@thedartgroup.net
Scott Feinstein
(212) 413-0806
scottfeinstein@thedartgroup.net
Director’s Statement
The Heart of the Game
The first time I walked into the Roosevelt High School gym I knew I had a story
on my hands. I saw girls crashing and bashing into each other, knocking each
other to the floor and laughing about it—lots of laughter. I had also stumbled into
a world-class character, a true court jester and genius at basketball, coach Bill
Resler. A college tax professor by day, Resler had a distinct talent at getting girls
to work their asses off and have fun doing it. Resler and the Roughriders took me
on a seven-year magic carpet ride.
When Darnellia Russell walked into the gym one day, I remember saying to
myself, “I’ve been waiting for you.” Her street-toughened confidence and quiet
defiance captivated me. When I saw her God-given basketball skills, I knew my
second main character had arrived. On one side, this tough inner city-kid who
was hell-bent on quitting the mostly-white school she had been sent to and on
the other side, this portly unorthodox coach whose main interest was helping
Darnellia make her life better and become a team leader.
At its deepest, The Heart of the Game is about the TEAM and about how girls
pull together as one to help each other out. It is about never giving up and taking
that next step forward however difficult or frightening. And, how each step might
just culminate in some triumphant moment that we couldn’t see if we had not
persevered on that path.
-Ward Serrill
SYNOPSIS
“Sink your teeth in their necks! Draw blood!” is the rallying cry of the
Roosevelt Roughriders girls’ basketball team. Imagining themselves as a pack of
wolves, the girls tear into opposing teams and stand together as warriors both on
and off the court.
When Seattle filmmaker Ward Serrill met Bill Resler, a college tax
professor who moonlights as a girls’ basketball coach, he didn’t realize that he
was about to embark on an incredible seven-year journey. Serrill, camera in
hand, followed Resler – who looks more like Santa Claus in Birkenstocks than a
whistle-blasting high school coach – into the Roosevelt High School gym and
soon discovered a group of girls whose unbridled toughness, passion and energy
he came to call THE HEART OF THE GAME.
Then, one day, onto the Roughriders’ court (and into the film) walked
Darnellia Russell – a tough, inner-city girl whose off-court struggles would
eventually threaten to crash the star athlete’s plans to play college ball and be the
first person in her family to get a college education.
At the center of THE HEART OF THE GAME is Darnellia’s unforgettable
true story – the loss of her eligibility and her legal battle to get back on court to
play the game that means everything to her. With Coach Resler, her team and
her family standing by her side, she takes on enormous personal obstacles as
well as the ruling body of high school sports in Washington State.
THE MAKING OF “THE HEART OF THE GAME”
Seven years in the making, THE HEART OF THE GAME captures the
passion and energy of a high school girls’ basketball team and tells the incredible
true story of one player’s fight to play the game she loves.
Directed by Seattle-based filmmaker Ward Serrill and narrated by Chris
“Ludacris” Bridges, this in-depth documentary not only illustrates the hardcharging energy and excitement of the game, but also captures the fiercely
competitive and extraordinary spirit of a winning team.
Coach Bill Resler is a tax professor at the University of Washington (with
three daughters) when he applies for the job as girls’ basketball coach at
Roosevelt High. Although his coaching experience is minimal, he has a
philosophy that disciplined training and healthy aggression will play a key role
in turning an average team into champions. Using metaphors and themes to
inspire the girls each year, Coach Resler encourages them to think and act like a
“pride of lions,” a “tropical storm” and a “pack of wolves” – all to communicate
the mindset required of a championship team. He invents an “inner circle” that is
free of parents and authority figures in which the girls can work through
problems on their own. And at the start of every season, he makes them
run…and run… and run…training them to outlast the competition.
“It’s not about winning and losing,” suggests Coach Resler, “but about
how hard you tried, how you overcome obstacles emotionally, how you rely on
other girls and how they rely on you."
Sitting courtside at a Roughrider’s home game is 96-year-old Maude
Lepley, who coached girls’ basketball in the 1920s. Serrill illustrates just how far
women have come when he spotlights Joyce Walker, a former professional
player who returns to Seattle to coach the Roosevelt Roughrider’s biggest foe –
the Garfield Bulldogs.
As THE HEART OF THE GAME follows Bill Resler’s journey, it also
tracks the personal stories of several individual players. Among the girls who
benefit from Resler’s shrewd coaching, his communication and his
encouragement are girls like Devon, an impassioned but insecure player who
hides a painful secret from friends teammates and coaches for years before
drawing on the courage she learned as a Roughrider to step forward and fight
for justice; and Lindsey, the best point guard in the state of Washington who
goes on to play professionally in Europe.
But when Darnellia Russell, a young African-American from a
neighborhood across town, walks on the mostly-white Roosevelt court – both
Russell and Resler will be changed forever. A phenomenal talent with WNBA
potential, she develops into one of the very best players in the state. To Serrill,
the arrival of Darnellia ignited his film.
"I told her, 'I've been waiting for you,' " he recalls. "Here's this edge and
attitude and really kind of a quiet, silent defiance to her, and God-given
extraordinary basketball skills."
“When Darnellia was a freshman, she wasn't really into being a team
player," said Resler. "She was a marvelous, gifted athlete, but not about the
team. That's what she learned at Roosevelt. She became the consummate team
player.”
In her junior year, Darnellia is faced with a challenge that could put both
her basketball and academic future in jeopardy. Both her teammates and her
coach must decide whether to support her desire to continue playing, even after
she’s ruled ineligible by the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association
(WIAA), the state’s governing sports organization.
Miramax Films presents A Woody Creek Production in association with
Flying Spot THE HEART OF THE GAME, written and directed by Ward Serrill
and produced by Ward Serrill and Liz Manne. Larry Estes is the executive
producer. Narrated by multi-platinum Grammy® Award-winning artist and
actor Chris ‘Ludacris’ Bridges, the music supervisor is Susan Jacobs, the
composer is The Angel and the sound design is by Bad Animals. The film is
edited by Eric Frith and the director of photography is Ward Serrill.
THE CHARACTERS
BILL RESLER, Coach of the Roughriders – Immature in the best sense of
the word, ingenious and fun, Resler a tax professor at the University of
Washington, is also a girls’ high school coach who lives and breathes basketball.
He constantly invents gags, schemes and plays to inspire the girls to not only
win, but to have more fun than any team in the country.
DARNELLIA, Roughrider – Pure fire, talent and intimidation. She walks
into the gym one day and begins a four-year roller coaster ride, dazzling
audiences and team members with her spirited play, good enough to make it in
the WNBA, sharp and smart – but struggling in school. With everyone rooting
for her to make it, Darnellia makes some choices away from the court that may
alter her basketball dreams.
DEVON, Roughrider – One of the most impassioned players on the team,
Devon becomes a tough warrior figure and gets coaching from a private
basketball coach outside the Roughrider community, which puts her in conflict
with Resler. Devon goes on to college but returns two years later to confess a
painful secret that she had kept hidden for years.
MAUDE LEPLEY, Fan – At 96-years-old, Maude is The Roughriders’
most inspiring fan. Lepley became a girls’ coach in the 1920s, when women
played a rudimentary version of the game that allowed for only a minimum of
physical activity. Her personal motto, which she shares with the girls, is “Never
Give Up!”
JOYCE WALKER, Coach of the rival Bulldogs – An All-American,
Olympian and former Harlem Globetrotter, Joyce returns to Garfield High
School, her alma mater, to coach the Roosevelt Roughrider’s biggest foe: the
Garfield Bulldogs. Working with the talented (and much taller) players on her
team, Walker’s Bulldogs rise to challenge the Roughrider’s dominance.
CHRIS ‘LUDACRIS’ BRIDGES, Narrator – Multi-platinum, Grammy®
Award-winning artist and actor, Bridges recently appeared in the Academy®
Award-nominated film Crash and the critically acclaimed Hustle & Flow. His
additional film credits include 2 Fast 2 Furious.
FILMMAKERS:
WARD SERRILL’s mission is to tell stories that inspire and heal. Formerly
the Executive Producer of films for Pyramid Communications, a social cause
public relations firm, Serrill created more than 40 short films on issues ranging
from Native American rights to the environment.
Serrill, was executive producer for Wild America, Protecting the Lands
Explored by Lewis and Clark, narrated by Academy® Award-winner Sissy Spacek,
which is used nationwide by the Sierra Club. He co-directed, wrote and
produced Building One House, narrated by Robert Redford that resulted in an
appearance by the film’s central character on the Oprah Winfrey Show. His film
Esther Shea: The Bear Stands Up was broadcast nationally on numerous PBS
stations.
The Heart of the Game is Ward’s first feature film.
Producer LIZ MANNE is a co-founder, with Catherine Tait, of Duopoly, a
New York-based independent film and TV production company. A former
executive at and co-founder of Fine Line Features, Manne later served as
Executive VP of Programming and Marketing for Robert Redford’s Sundance
Channel. At Fine Line, she was instrumental in distributing dozens of films
including the critically acclaimed documentary Hoop Dreams, the Academy
Award®-winning Shine, Robert Altman’s The Player and Short Cuts, and Gus Van
Sant’s My Own Private Idaho. At Duopoly, Manne also provides strategic
consulting services to a number of clients and films including HBO Films (Real
Women Have Curves, American Splendor, Elephant, Maria Full of Grace, Last Days).
Her next producing project is A Dog Year, based on the book by Jon Katz,
scheduled to shoot later this year.
Executive producer LARRY ESTES, a former Columbia/TriStar executive
who developed and operated an arm of the studio's Home Video's acquisitions
program that fully funded and distributed sex, lies and videotape as well as John
Sayles' City of Hope and Passion Fish, joined Seattle-based ShadowCatcher
Entertainment in 1998. There he produced Smoke Signals and served as executive
producer on both The Book of Stars and Getting to Know You. Prior to that, Estes
produced Sundance festival favorites Coldblooded and Santa Fe and later returned
to Columbia/TriStar to produce The Mating Habits of the Earthbound Human.
Since leaving ShadowCatcher in 2000, he produced Sherman Alexie's directing
debut The Business of Fancydancing.
Editor ERIC FRITH is a principal at Byrd Productions, an independent
production company that has created feature-length films, documentaries,
commercials and public service announcements. Frith recently directed and
edited the short film 49? which screened at the 2003 Sundance Film Festival.
A Brooklyn native, and Los Angeles transplant by way of London, THE
ANGEL has created a musical sound all of her own. 1997 saw Angel's first foray
into film with her co-writing and producing the track "Anything" featuring
Angie Hart (of Frente) for the film Playing God. Later that year she scored music
for her first two films; Gridlock'd and 'Til There Was You. While promoting her 60
Channels album throughout 1999, Angel was approached by New Line Cinema
to score the film Boiler Room which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival in
2000. She is currently working on the upcoming film Kidulthood.
CREDITS:
WRITTEN AND DIRECTED BY
Ward Serrill
PRODUCED BY
Ward Serrill
Liz Manne
EXECUTIVE PRODUCER
Larry Estes
EDITED BY
Eric Frith
NARRATED BY
Chris “Ludacris” Bridges
DIRECTOR OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Ward Serrill
MUSIC BY
The Angel
MUSIC SUPERVISOR
Susan Jacobs
POST PRODUCTION SERVICES
Flying Spot
SOUND DESIGN AND MIX
Bad Animals
FEATURING (in order of appearance)
Darnellia Russell
Bill Resler
Devon Crosby-Helms
Meghan Miller
Jade White
Lindsey Wilson
Mike “Riderman” Silva
Emily Watson
Hillary Seidel
James White
Aaron Jack
Mona Mendoza
Keasha Beard
April Swofford
Maude Lepley
Joyce Walker
Joel Waters
Marjorie Russell
Jerry Ronk
Shannon Costello
Jenny Wild
Alex Jessup
Emiko Harris
Leondrae Morris
Betty Harris
Urika Russell
Leyla Khastou
Tracey Leddo
Secoy Clemmons
Trekayla Clemmons
Kenyon Luce
Malia O’Neil
Mike Colbrese
Kelli Cutright
DISTRIBUTION ADVISORY SERVICES
Cinetic Media and Duopoly
FOR FLYING SPOT
CHIEF EXECUTIVE
Pat Sanford
POST PRODUCTION MANAGERS
Mary Daisey
Kelli Garces
ONLINE EDITORS
Troy Murison
Shane Dillon
Steve Harris
Tim Neff
ELECTRONIC FILM TIMING
Jeff Tillotson
GRAPHICS AND TITLES
Lucy Woodworth
FOR BAD ANIMALS SOUND DESIGN Mike McAuliffe
SOUND MIX
David Howe
POST SOUND SUPERVISOR
Wendi Wills
SOUND RECORDING
Ward Serrill
ADDITIONAL SOUND
Peter Roberts
Mark Griswold
Eric Soma
NARRATION RECORDING
Gideon Cohen
Joshua Monroy
Pat Cockburn
Steve Heinke
Matt Hutchinson
POST PRODUCTION SUPERVISOR
Thomas Carl McGuinness
POST PRODUCTION CONSULTANT
Stephen Myers, A.C.E.
ADDITIONAL EDITING
Kurt Feldhun
Tiffany Verzal
Tim Harader
ASSISTANT EDITOR
Amelia Stodghill
ADDITIONAL CINEMATOGRAPHY
David Fox
Diana Wilmar
ADDITIONAL CAMERA
Ray Woodhouse
Bruce Hutson
Ryan Purcell
Kirk Miller
Aaron Stadler
Wendy Jo Carlton
Richard Palacios
Charlie Kirkwood
Katherine Bragdon
Hilary Seidel
Scott Seidel
LIGHTING
Ryan Purcell
ASSOCIATE PRODUCERS
Alice de Muizon
Amelia Stodghill
Lois Greenberg
Richard Palacios
STORY ADVISORS
Katherine Bragdon
Matt Clarke
Tricia Cooke
Steve Hay
David Hunsaker
David Liu
Michael McMann
STOCK FOOTAGE CONSULTANT
Cathleen O’Connell
ADDITIONAL FOOTAGE
COURTESY OF
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME FOOTAGE
CHAMPIONSHIP GAME
ANNOUNCERS
KOMO 4
KING 5
KIRO 7
WNBA
Absolutely Archives
Oddball Film and Video
LSU Athletic Department
Corbis Motion
National Archives
Library of Congress
Tel Ra Productions
Ross Productions
Fox Sports Net / National Sports
Partners
KING 5
Rich Waltz
Elise Woodward
RADIO BROADCASTS
COURTESY OF
STILL PHOTOGRAPHY
COURTESY OF
KIRO Newsradio 710 AM
Fox Sports Radio 850 AM
The Seattle Times
Harlem Globetrotters
NEWSPAPERS COURTESY OF
The Seattle Times
King County Journal
LEGAL SERVICES
Neil Sussman
Bill Neal
Daniel Steinman
GRAPHIC DESIGN & TECH SUPPORT Alex Bates
WEB DESIGN
Jake Farmer
TAPE LOGGING
Amelia Stodghill
Allison Roberts
Original music produced, programmed and recorded by
The Angel for Devilishly Good Productions
Angel C. (Supa Crucial Music/BMI)
© 2006 Supa Crucial Recordings
Musicians
Upright and Electric Bass – Robert Russell
All other instruments – The Angel
Additional Music
Kurt Feldhun, Baby Candy Records
© Zugga Zugga Publishing (BMI)
Band Music
Starring the Roosevelt High School Roughrider Band
Composed and arranged by Scott Brown, Director
© Scott Brown (ASCAP)
Songs
“The Small Death”
Written and Performed by Richard McFarland
© Richard McFarland (ASCAP)
“Right Now”
Performed by Mocean Worker
Written by Adam Dornblum
Slugwell Music (ASCAP)
Courtesy of Mowo, Inc.
“Skip Dat, Pop Dat”
Written by Paul Lenart & Bill Novick
Sonoton 3UM (ASCAP)
Courtesy of Associated Production Music
“All The Way”
Written and Performed by The Angel
Supa Crucial Music (BMI)
Courtesy of Supa Crucial Recordings
“Believe It”
Written by M. Ludlum & Angel C.
Performed by The Angel featuring MYSTIC
Rude Gal Music (ASCAP) / Supa Crucial Music (BMI)
Courtesy of Supa Crucial Recordings
BAND MUSIC RECORDED BY
Steve Deibert
MUSIC EDITOR
Brian Richards
FISCAL SPONSOR
911 Media Arts
FUNDING PROVIDED IN PART BY
Jean and Russ Amick
Ginger and Barry Ackerley
Sonics T.E.A.M. Foundation
Schultz Family Foundation
Jill Ruckelshaus
Raymond “Buck” Ferguson
City of Seattle – Mayor’s Office of Film
and Music
VAN DRIVER
Steven “Crash” Arroz
USHERS
June and Doug Serrill
SPECIAL THANKS
WARD’S BOARD:
Katherine “Josephine” Bragdon
Cecile “Cat” Thomas
Mike “Wag” McMann
Steve “Arroz” Rice
David “Blind Lemon” Yeaworth
Doug “Louie” Serrill
Lisa “Magica” Andrews
To the following artists for their
narration and music in
preview versions
Jeff Hoyt
David Scully
Joe and Daisey Zajonc
AND
Nancy Abraham
Nicolette Aizenberg
Patricia Angel
Cassandra Barbour
Felix Banel
Brad Barnett
Daniel Battsek
Emily Bear
Sheila Benson
Michael Bentt
Fred Berner
Peter Bragdon
Marja Brandon
Karen Bryant
Linda Borgeson
Lyall Bush
Joan Caine
Joel Carey
Jason Cassidy
Sarah Childs
Erin Combs
Karen Conway
Liesl Copland
Jamie Lopez
Helen Loveridge
Kenyon and Karen Luce
Moira MacDonald
Sonny Magana
Fidelma McGinn
Greg and Binke Miller
Dori Monson
Sandy Montgomery
Chris Nefcy
Ralph Nord
Zack Norman
Valerie O’Neil
Donna Orender
William Orr
Richard Palacios
Vivian Philips
Jamie Pratt
Dave Pridemore
Pyramid Communications
Karen Ramsey
Sherry Resler
Steven Rice
Noah Cowan
Glenn Cowen
Julie Crosby-Helms
John Cutright
Rebekeh Denn
Robyn DiJulio
Jan Drago
Mary Erickson
Sue Favor
Tom Feuer
Kaylin Frank
Christina Fraser
Jenny Fritz
Bunny Goofball
Micah Green
Merilee Grindle
Boyd Hansen and the Duchess
Steve “Hey Steve!” Hay
Ann Hedreen
Lisa Heller
Kevin Herilihy
Jon Horton
John Hoyt
David Johansen
Kristin Jones
Andre Kahr
James Keblas
Bruce Kilgore
Senator Jeanne Kohl-Welles
Bill Kossen
Don Lacomb
Charlie Langdon
Brien Lautman
Bryan Lawson
Nate Lepley
Paul Lepley
Anne Levinson
Linda Lichter
Lois & Benny
John Roman
Roosevelt Athletic Boosters
Marjorie Russell
Mary Jean Ryan
Pat Sanford
Cynthia Swartz
Scott and Kajsa Seidel
Wayne Seward
Don Shelton
Paul Silvi
Amanda Slepski
John Sloss
Craig Smith
Alvin Swafford
Catherine Tait
Holly Taylor
Art Thiel
Brad Thompson
Rus Thompson
Anne Tillery
Paul Tobin
Karen Toenig
Bill and Pam Torrance
Karis Cady
Colleen Wadden
Charlie Watts
Patti West
James White
Julie White
Tony White
Bryan Willison
Bruce Wilson
John Woodin
Reverend Pat Wright
Carrie Zanger
Jayna Zelman
Lori Zucker
Armadillos by Arroz
The Roughriders
Mackenzie Argens
Molly Boyd
Colleen Bresee-Woods
Alex Capelotto
Jen Cheun Bouddy
Shannon Costello
Devon Crosby-Helms
Korleana Davico
Ariel Evans
Alaina Forbes
Breianna Gaines
Emiko Harris
Tammy Hartung
Johanna Hase
Mattie Hesch
Corry Holme
Libby Jansen
Leyla Khastou
Kimmy Kirkwood
Tracy Leddo
Jamie McIntyre
Meghan Miller
The Bulldogs
Jamila Bates
Keasha Beard
Kaneshia Brooks
Delaney Conway
Nicole Higgins
Anna Johnsen
Laura Kanter
Jazmyne Kendrick
Ashley Knight
Briana Lewis
Ashley Mitchell
Natasha Neal
Malia O’Neil
Laura Mohler
Colleen Mori
Anne Moxon
Betsy Neel
Angela Nefcy
Monica Nelson
Piper Nims
Rachel Nord
Amanda Ostrom
Morgan Patterson
J’Nai Pich
Erin Pursell
Allison Reiman
Darnellia Russell
Anna Sarff
Hillary Seidel
Maggie Torrance
Amber Warren
Emily Watson
Jade White
Jennie Wild
Lindsey Wilson
Mitia Oliver
Lacale Pringle-Buchanan
Kanika Rogers
Brenia Sherrod
Tashara Simpson
Chelle Ticeson
Samantha Tinned
Jessica Tinned
Quanitta Underwood
Laura Washington
Robyn Williams
Chanieka Williams
Produced in association with
Welb Film Pursuits, LTD.
For Richard Buell and Woody the Dog
And to Amma