New York Post
by Adam Buckman
Coney Island is 2,917 miles away from Portland, Ore., but the journey was a lot longer than that for Sebastian Telfair.
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New York Post
by Adam Buckman
CONEY Island is 2,917 miles away from Portland, Ore., but the journey was a lot longer than that for Sebastian Telfair.
The story of this high school basketball phenom (Abraham Lincoln High, class of '04) is told in this new documentary produced by ESPN that premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival last year and now comes to television for the first time tomorrow night.
Telfair, a 6'0" point guard from the Coney Island projects, was chosen in the 13th round of the 2004 NBA draft by the Portland Trailblazers, straight out of high school.
Draft day - June 24, 2004 - is essentially where the documentary ends (except for a brief, sweet coda tacked on right after it).
Before you get to that point, however, you will travel with Sebastian - and his Lincoln High teammates, coaches, brothers and mother - as he leads his team to its third consecutive city championship.
For most of us, the boardwalk, beach, Nathan's and the Cyclone at Astroland Park are the most famous attractions in Coney Island.
But as you will learn if you watch "Through the Fire," for the people who live in Coney Island, basketball is a much deeper passion than the area's seaside amusements.
Stephon Marbury of the Knicks grew up in an apartment on the floor above Sebastian. The two are cousins.
In addition, one of Sebastian's brothers, Jamel Thomas, was a star at Providence.
Jamel expected to be drafted by the NBA, but was not. In the film, he does everything he can to ensure that Sebastian does not experience the same disappointment.
In one of the film's more illuminating segments, Jamel brings Sebastian to Greece - where Jamel is playing pro ball - to work out with him prior to the draft.
The sequence provides a fascinating look at basketball abroad - something we don't get a chance to see very often.
But most of the action in "Through the Fire" takes place much closer to home.
More than just a documentary about basketball, this lovely movie is one of the best I've ever seen about growing up in New York City, where once in a while, dreams really can come true.
"Through the Fire"
4 STARS
Daily News
by Jack Mathews
It's one thing for a filmmaker to find a great story and reconstruct it as a sort of documentary feature story. It's another to see that story developing and capture it on the fly.
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Daily News
by Jack Mathews
Documentary. (1:43). Not rated: Strong language.
It's one thing for a filmmaker to find a great story and reconstruct it as a sort of documentary feature story. It's another to see that story developing and capture it on the fly.
That's what Jonathan Hock accomplished with this superb, ultimately exhilarating account of Coney Island basketball phenom Sebastian Telfair's senior year at Lincoln High. With Hock's cameras in the midst of every game and seemingly private moment in Telfair's life, we watch him lead his team to the state championship, pose for the cover of Sports Illustrated and make his choice between a college scholarship or an Adidas contract and direct shot at the NBA.
With his broad smile and winning personality, Telfair (a cousin of Knick Stephon Marbury) is an easy star to follow, and his coolness under pressure - both to succeed on the court and to earn his entire family a ticket out of the projects - makes his tale a hoop dream for the ages.
Indie Wire
by Eugene Hernandez
Seeing a good movie really can make for a fun evening. In the case of the Tribeca Film Festival last night, two heartwarming documentaries made for a great night downtown.
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Indie Wire
by Eugene Hernandez
Winning Night: "Rize" and "Through the Fire"
[Tribeca daily dispatch by Eugene Hernandez.]
Seeing a good movie really can make for a fun evening. In the case of the Tribeca Film Festival last night, two heartwarming documentaries made for a great night downtown. David LaChappelle's "Rize", which I watched twice back at Sundance, is a terrific film about the emergence of a fast-paced form of dancing in South Central Los Angeles, the people that LaChapelle follows include local celebrity Tommy the Clown, leader of a group of kids turning to clown and krump dancing as a way to express themselves. So, the real discovery for me last night was Sebastian Telfair, showcased in "Through The Fire", Jonathan Hock's loving look at the basketball player's senior of high school as he struggles with the decision to either go to college or try to break into the NBA.
Cheers and a standing ovation greeted the film at its special screening last night, with many of Telfair's friends and family from Coney Island in attendance. Telfair, a savvy young kid with a winning smile and a warm family, shines in this sharply shot and assembled doc. While the movie probably should have dug deeper into the complex dynamics of the Telfair family and the cut-throat, seductive world of high school athletics, its hard to fault a film packed with so much warmth. Telfair, the cousin of Knicks star Stephon Marbury, faces a tough decision as a middle child among a family of basketball brothers and at the end of the film, audiences may debate whether he made the right choice, but no doubt they understand his reasons and applaud his success.
Comparisons to the more complex and in-depth "Hoop Dreams" are inevitable but not really justified.
"It is about rebirth and community, just like this festival," enthused Hock on-stage during yesterday's Tribeca Film Festival press conference. "Like this neighborhood, the Telfair family did not have things always break their way," but he added, "They did not lose sight of their dreams."
Buyers were buzzing after Thursday's screening, with some execs planning to show the picture to higher-ups at various companies. Another showing is on tap tomorrow in Tribeca. Cinetic Media is selling the film and it will undoubtedly find a distributor.
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