Overcoming difficulties through sport. Finalists in the video categories celebrate stories of hope and resilience
Martin Mazur - AIPS Media
BUDAPEST, February 1, 2020 - The clock is ticking for the big gala night. The second edition of the AIPS Sport Media Awards is coming to an end, with all sights set on Budapest, Hungary.
The level of the three video categories was incredibly high, showcasing stories from different sports, historical events revised, current and unknown topics presented in a variety of formats, from social media to TV to cinema.
The new Short Feature category, for videos up to 10 minutes, was an instant hit among participants, leaving the other two, Athlete Profile and Documentary, to longer productions.
Short Feature finalists
Basile Roze (France) reached the final with “Legends Live On: Matthias Steiner” for the Olympic Channel, showing the monumental effort of Steiner, who won the gold medal at the Olympic Games Beijing 2008, a bittersweet victory following the tragic death of his wife just one year earlier.
Marissa Boyajian (USA) submitted “Hope: The Gabe Grunewald Story.” an inspirational story of a runner that died of a rare form of cancer that she had fought for 10 years. Her story is told through Tim Layden's powerful and thoughtful words, as well as her husband, Justin, her sister, Abby, and her father, Kim.
Andrew Leibman shot “Sign at All Times: A Film About Brian Estrada,” the story of a deaf skater that overcomes his personal adversity and finds his place in the world through a passion for skateboarding.
Athlete Profile finalists
Matthew Allen (United States) reached the final with his work “Birthright: Becoming Toby Dawson”, a 30-minute video produced by NBC for the Olympic Channel that tells the story of Toby Dawson, abandoned at 3 years old on the streets of Busan, South Korea, and how he became Olympic freestyle skier and coach.
In “The Gold Jacket - From Struer to Hall of Fame”, Claus Frederiksen (Denmark) followed Morten Andersen’s journey from a small fishing town in the west coast of Denmark to the Hall of Fame of NFL in Canton, Ohio, a 93-minute movie for Nordisk Film Cinemas and TV 2 sport Denmark.
In his 26-minute work, Ben Unger (Germany) told the story of Souleymane Chérif, African Player of the Year in 1972, who arrived in East Germany as a student. “Pelé from Neubrandenburg” was broadcast on NDR TV.
Documentary finalists
“The Kennedy who changed the world,” by Stuart Pollitt (UK), for BBC, is a one-hour recount of the mastermind of the Special Olympics and tells the story of how one woman from America’s most famous family changed the world for the most disadvantaged and discriminated people on the planet – through sport.
Stan Grant (Australia) focused on the impact of racial abuse in “The Australian Dream,” for Lonton Entertainment. It tells of a dispossessed, brutalised people, whose suffering continues to this day, and whose oppression is brilliantly told through the experiences of Adam Goode, one of the greatest Australian Rules Footballers ever to have played the game. An outwardly proud and successful man, who triumphed in the face of this adversity.
Jack Felling (USA) created the “1968 Roundtable,” an NBC production with all the main actors from the 1968 Olympic Games. The 23-time Grand Slam winner Serena Williams narrates the film. The documentary is followed by a roundtable discussion about the lasting significance of the Mexico City Olympics. Mike Tirico hosts the conversation with esteemed guests Tony Dungy, Ibtihaj Muhammad, Greg Louganis, and James Blake.
What’s next
Next Monday, in Hotel Corinthia, Budapest, the finalists of the three video categories will share the stage to know the final positions, based on the Jury’s decision. It will be a celebratory night without losers. Third placed will earn US$ 2,000, second placed will earn US$ 2,000 and the first placed will be awarded with a trophy and US$ 8,000.