A wonderful portrait of shared passion and perseverance by Anthony Pellino. The only urban team to compete in Chicago’s highly competitive High School Premier League, the Sullivan High Tigers are made up of 14 players from 13 different countries. Although many of the kids don’t speak English (and often depend on select teammates for translation), they’ve learned to communicate collectively through soccer and built a brotherhood out of the game that means so much to them.
The profile was shot over the course of four days in October 2016 and another three days in February 2017, after the Boston-born, New York City-based director stumbled upon an article highlighting the team’s diversity. Having always aimed to tell stories about the things that drive us toward our goals, the larger legacy the Tigers represent really resonated with Pellino. As he shared with us:
“What struck me the most was that this was not some rare / one time amalgamation of refugees and immigrants, but an identity that goes back decades. I wanted this film to glorify a soccer program that means so much not only to the current players, but countless others who have played under them, and hope to in the future.”
Check out “Sullivan” above and see full credits below!
Directed by Anthony Pellino
DP: Zach Lowry, Jason Koontz
Executive Producers: Spencer Dennis, Thibaut Estellon, Mark Smith
Boom/Mix: Scott Wietrzykowski
Editor: Carlos Flores
Color: Kath Raisch / Company 3
Color Producer: Kate Aspell
Original Score: Ankit Suri
Sound Mix / Master: Lyell Roeder
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