BMG Brokers Present Mr. Chibbs A Film By Jill Campbell STARRING Kenny Anderson, Natasha Anderson, Kenny Anderson Jr, Kenneth Anderson, Devon Anderson, Nate “Tiny” Archibald, Suaney Castro, Coach Bobby Cremins, Coach Bobby Hurley, Brian Oliver, Tianna Rodriguez, Deidra “Spinderella” Roper, Dennis Scott, Kenny “the Jet” Smith. DOC NYC PRESS NOTES http://mrchibbs.com/ DOC NYC SCREENING Saturday, November 12th at 9:45 PM | SVA Theater (333 West 23rd Street, New York, NY 10011) Run Times | 86 min PRESS CONTACTS FRANK PR Matt Hirsch | 732-547-9849 [email protected] Eugene Shevertalov | 310-990-0208 [email protected] LOGLINE Former NBA All-Star Kenny Anderson is in the midst of a midlife crisis, grappling with his identity and coming to terms with his past as he searches for a meaningful future. SYNOPSIS Reeling from his mother’s death and a subsequent DUI, NYC basketball prodigy and retired NBA All-Star Kenny Anderson looks to discover himself in the midst of a mid-life crisis. Anderson traces past footsteps to confront haunting memories and find solace in becoming the father he never had time to be. Combining unseen footage with raw moments of reflection, “Mr. Chibbs” explores what happens when the talent fades and a sports legend searches for a meaningful future. DIRECTOR’S STATEMENT Jill Campbell There were no retakes or do overs with Kenny, that’s how he rolled and that’s how I roll too. My goal as a director, producer and playwright has always been about establishing authenticity, while delving deeply into every story I am exploring in an effort to better understand our world and my place in it. When I was asked to hop on board with Mr. Chibbs, Kenny requested that the producer’s fly him to New York so we could meet. He wanted to see that we were “not a bunch of clowns.” I decided we should do some exploratory shooting and picked Kenny up from JFK with a car full of filmmaker friends and equipment. From the moment we started shooting, we all knew we had something special. Kenny and I connected on many levels: I am a lifelong New Yorker; my brother played college ball; during the season, the hum of basketball has always been on in the background in my home. I certainly knew about Kenny’s career, but when we met, I became passionate about telling his story. I immediately realized that Kenny was in the midst of a full blown mid-life crisis, and I was at the tail end of mine. I wanted to capture this journey by utilizing an observational/direct cinema approach, while incorporating archival footage from his amazing career as memories that connect us to the story we are telling in the present. This was not going to be just a highlight reel. Kenny was also a great partner in the process of making Mr. Chibbs. As a point guard, he was a gifted forward thinker, which translated to natural producer. He was always visualizing our next move. We discussed the people we would interview and places we would go. I knew I wanted Kenny included in all the interviews we did, and as filming moved forward, I realized that a “Christmas Carol” theme was evolving. As Kenny revisited people and places from his past, the experience evoked strong memories, inciting him to reflect on his life - past and present; his motivation to get his mother out of poverty, the natural talent he was gifted with, the amazing mentors who nourished this talent, the sexual abuse he silently suffered, the alcohol abuse, the women, money, kids he loved and neglected, wives, the DUI, and the regret from not giving his all in the NBA. These were not only testaments to a story as universal as the American dream, but I have never seen or met someone who was so willing to be as raw and open about their lives in an effort to give back to a society that gave so much to him. At the same time I began to witness how this was personally helping him to move forward in life. The film, became his therapy, and as he met people and places from his past, he began to understand, heal and learn more about who the man he was going to be for the rest of his life. We followed Kenny for three years, starting with a non existent budget and an abundance of inspiration. Because of Producer/Executive Producer Barry Greenstein’s involvement, we ended with a true budget and a film we are all extremely proud of sharing. There is a little bit of Kenny in all of us, which is why we can all relate to his story. ABOUT THE FILMMAKERS Jill Campbell | Director Jill began her career running lines with Morgan Freeman at the Public Theatre. She has worked as a producer, director and writer on documentaries that have received worldwide distribution, screened theatrically and appeared on Netflix, Amazon, VOD and Sky TV. Notable festivals include: DOC NYC, Seattle Film Festival, Tribeca Film Festival, Dance on Camera, Santa Fe Film Festival, Newport Film Festival, San Diego Asian Film Festival, Henley Film Festival, Warsaw Film Festival and Lincoln Center. Jill was a producer on DANCING ACROSS BORDERS (First Run Feathers,) and a consultant for NEVER STAND STILL (First Run Features). Jill was a producer and writer on OUT OF PRINT which premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. Jill directed, produced and wrote the documentary THE HAMLET OF CANFIELD GARDENS about her mentor, British playwright and poet Bernard Kops which screened at the JW3 Center and the Jewish Museum in London. Jill was awarded a scholarship to Killer Films/Stony Brook Southampton's 20/20/20 program where she directed and wrote the narrative short AFTER TOMORROW produced under the helm of legendary producer Christine Vachon. Jill is also a playwright with work appearing at La MaMa, Mabou Mines, Luna Stage, Dublin Fringe Festival and many other stages around the world. She is presently a candidate for her MFA, Hunter College, IMA. Jill directed, produced and wrote MR. CHIBBS about NBA All-Star and NYC prodigy Kenny Anderson. The film will premiere at DOC NYC. She is a proud member of the PGA. Barry Greenstein | Producer/Executive Producer A Brooklyn native and avid sports fan, MR. CHIBBS is Barry’s inaugural producing venture. He is also an Executive Producer of THE HAMLET OF CANFIELD GARDENS. Barry is the owner of a transportation brokerage firm and the proud single father with custody of his 12-year-old daughter. Paul Lovelace | Editor Paul is a New York based director, producer and editor. In 2015, Paul edited and co-produced the acclaimed feature documentary IRIS, directed by the late Albert Maysles. IRIS was distributed by Magnolia Pictures and was one of the best reviewed and top grossing documentaries of that year. Paul directed, produced and co-edited the 2012 award winning RADIO UNNAMEABLE (distributed by Kino Lorber and aired on PBS) about free form radio pioneer Bob Fass. In 2006 he directed, produced and co-edited the THE HOLY MODAL ROUNDERS… BOUND TO LOSE about the Greenwich Village psychedelic folk duo. Also in 2006, Paul wrote, produced, and edited the PBS documentary AMERICAN ROOTS MUSIC: CHICAGO. Paul has made several widely seen short films including the ESPN Nine for IX documentary PLAY A ROUND WITH ME about controversial golfer Jan Stephenson. Recently, Paul edited the Jon Stewart produced AFTER SPRING about the Syrian refugee crisis. Paul is currently editing MR. CHIBBS, a feature length documentary about basketball legend Kenny Anderson and directing and producing a documentary about the biodiesel industry for the Discovery Channel. Joshua Woltermann | Editor Joshua is a documentary producer, editor and director who has worked with some of best known and respected contributors in documentary film including Bill Moyers, Barak Goodman, John Maggio, Errol Morris, and Ric Burns. He co-produced the documentary FLEX IS KINGS which premiered at the 2013 Tribeca Film Festival. He has worked on films for PBS’s American Experience and most recently served as producer of Ric Burns’s ENQUIRING MINDS: THE UNTOLD STORY OF THE MAN BEHIND THE NATIONAL ENQUIRER which premiered at NYC DOC Fest and on Michael Beach Nichols and Christopher K. Walker’s WELCOME TO LEITH which premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Born in Kentucky, Woltermann currently lives and works in New York City. Nelson Walker III | Cinematographer Nelson holds a bachelor’s degree in American civilization from Brown University. He began his career as a writer, penning documentaries for the Discovery Channel, the History Channel and the PBS series “NOVA.” His directorial debut, iThemba|Hope, aired on the Sundance Channel in 2005. Walker works regularly as a cinematographer for renowned documentary film company, Maysles Films, and is a founding member of the Maysles Institute, a nonprofit organization committed to using film to empower marginalized individuals and communities. He was the 2005 recipient of the Albert Maysles Award for Excellence in Documentary Filmmaking at the Dallas Video Festival. Walker has worked extensively in Tibet, as a visiting instructor at Tibet University in Lhasa and as a contributor to the Tibetan and Himalayan Digital Library Project. In 2006, he traveled to the Kham region as a documentarian for the Kham Geotourism Project, an initiative launched by the University of Virginia, Machik and the Maysles Institute. Walker has an M.F.A. in film directing from Columbia University. Recent projects include IRIS directed by Albert Maysles and IN TRANSIT which Walker co-directed with Maysles. Jeff Parker | Composer Jeff is a multi-instrumentalist, producer and composer.