EXCLUSIVE: Basketball legend and activist Jaci McCormack has teamed up with award-winning writer Erica Tremblay (Little Chief, Yellow Bird) of the Seneca-Cayuga Nation to pen Rise Above, a feature …
, a feature film about the challenges and triumph and how her love of basketball protected and elevated her through it all.
The film will be directed by Dennis Lee and produced by his Atomic Features partner Daniel Ragussis , and Tremblay. Basketball Hall of Fame players Lenny Wilkens and Gary Payton, Hollywood icon Danny Glover, and longtime civil rights activist Gus Newport will executive produce. “Jaci’s story is an incredible example of Native empowerment, and I was drawn to her personal journey,” said Tremblay. “There is a real lack of Indigenous representation in film and television and Jaci’s story is exactly what is needed. We need to see members of our communities achieve greatness,” continued Tremblay.
Raised on the Nez Perce reservation by her grandparents, McCormack, a basketball prodigy, had her life turned upside down when a tragic killing rocked her community. McCormack went on to lead the Illinois State Redbirds to an NCAA Tournament Berth, with a legendary game-winning turnaround jumper that was featured on ESPN’s “Play of the Day.
“My story demonstrates that while it isn’t easy to break barriers, it is possible,” said McCormack. “Representation matters when it comes to Native youth, because my story is their story. I feel extremely grateful to have found filmmakers like Erica, Dennis and Daniel that I can trust to tell this story; Erica understands the importance of indigenous representation in film, and she wholeheartedly believes in the social movement this project will support.
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