BOXING FEATURE "SWEET DREAMS" TO PREMIERE IN DURHAM APRIL 8TH; DOCUMENTS REAL-LIFE ROCKY AND HIS EFFORT TO UNIONIZE SPORT
Sports documentaries are a genre in themselves. Miramax has women's basketball documentary "Heart of the Game" being released later this year. ThinkFilms released "Murderball" last year. And of course, who could forget "Hoop Dreams". Well, now we have one for boxing in "Sweet Dreams", which I was lucky enough to preview. Should be a treat for all those who can make it to the festival. Here's the info:
Five-time Full Frame Festival award nominee SWEET DREAMS, which documents the historic first efforts to organize a boxing union, makes its world premiere in Durham, NC on April 8, it was announced by Phantazma Pictures and Tapelist. Audiences can view the trailer at the film's official web site sweetdreamsmovie.com.
SWEET DREAMS follows the story of Gary "Tiger" Balletto (27), a Rocky-like Italian-American figure with brutal punch but soft heart, as he struggles to juggle career and family, mentor an off-course bookie, and in his greatest fight of all, unionize the sport through J.A.B. (Joint Association of Boxers).
Spurred by the tragic death of friend Bobby Tomasello in the ring, Balletto campaigns for fighters to gain medical insurance, financial benefits and long-term futures outside the ropes with the help of the Teamster's Union. The film climaxes with a nationally televised ESPN2 fight in which Balletto puts his whole future on the line, delivering a fight scene that rivals any from ROCKY or RAGING BULL.
Current J.A.B. president and former light-heavyweight champion Eddie Mustafa Muhammad, whose role in the materialization of the union is highlighted in the film, said the documentary is an important step in the development of J.A.B. and awareness surrounding it.
With a charismatic star quality, Balletto has all the potential to be next great national media figure. The latest generation in a family lineage of boxers, he emerged from the wrong side of the tracks and single-parent home to become an up-and-coming boxing star in his own right. Balletto's impressive record and IBU World Championship sealed his status as one to watch.
Directed by Eric Latek, and Executive Produced by Evan Friedman, SWEET DREAMS (2006, 126min) premieres at the Full Frame Documentary Festival in Durham, N.C. on Saturday, April 8th at 6:45pm.
