The Muhammad Ali Center, in partnership with ESPN Films, relaunches the film series by screening a selection of films, including many from the award-winning 30 for 30 series, over the course of the next six months. The first film, “Believeland” is on Tuesday, June 26th at 6:00 p.m. at the Muhammad Ali Center. It is free to attend, but RSVPs are required.
The screening lineup for the year is:
Believeland
Tuesday, June 26th, 6:00 p.m.
There’s a special place on the southern shore of Lake Erie, at the mouth of the Cuyahoga River. Known as Cleveland, it is the site of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the home of the Indians, the Browns and the Cavaliers. But it’s also the home of an agonizing losing streak. Of all American cities that have at least three major sports franchises, Cleveland is the only one that has failed to win a championship in the last half-century. Those sports teams, and the hearts they’ve broken over and over again, have inspired a different name for the city: Believeland.
RSVP here.
The 16th Man
Tuesday, July 31st, 6:00 p.m.
Rugby has long been viewed in South Africa as a game for the white population, and the country's success in the sport has been a true source of Afrikaner pride. When the 50-year-old policies and entrenched injustices of apartheid were finally overthrown in 1994, Nelson Mandela's new government began rebuilding a nation badly in need of racial unity. So the world was watching when South Africa played host to the 1995 Rugby World Cup. Though they had only one non-white player, the South African Springboks gained supporters of all colors as they made an improbable run into the final match where they beat the heavily favored New Zealand team.
RSVP here.
Brothers in Exile
Tuesday, August 28th, 6:00 p.m.
Major League Baseball has been transformed by the influx of Cuban players such as Aroldis Chapman, Yasiel Puig and Jose Abreu. But a special debt of gratitude is owed to two half-brothers, whose courage two decades ago paved the way for their stardom. Brothers in Exile tells the incredible story of Livan and Orlando "El Duque" Hernandez, who risked their lives to get off the island.
RSVP here.
Into the Wind
Tuesday, September 11th, 6:00 p.m.
In 1980, Terry Fox continued his fight against bone cancer with the pursuit of a singular, motivating vision: to run across Canada. Three years after having his right leg amputated six inches above the knee after being diagnosed with osteosarcoma, Fox set out to cover more than a marathon's distance each day until he reached the shores of Victoria, British Columbia. Anonymous at the start of his journey, Fox steadily captured the heart of a nation with his Marathon of Hope. However the 21-year old BC native's goal was not fame, but to spread awareness and raise funds for cancer research.
RSVP here.
26 Years: The Dewey-Bozella Story
Tuesday, October 30th, 6:00 p.m.
ESPN Films tells the inspirational story of Dewey Bozella and follows him through his quest to fight one professional fight as a free man. A promising young boxer from a troubled family, Bozella was wrongfully convicted of murder in 1983 and spent more than 26 years in New York’s Sing Sing prison.
RSVP here.
Unguarded
Tuesday, November 27th, 6:00 p.m.
Chris Herren of Fall River, Mass., was a high school basketball standout who battled the pressures of making it big from an early age. After dropping out of Boston College, Chris landed on Jerry Tarkanian's notorious Fresno State team, where players were likely to be found on both police blotters and All-American lists. Chris failed drug tests at BC and Fresno State, but he was so talented that he was drafted into the NBA anyway, ending up with the Boston Celtics. But at the moment he was realizing his childhood dream of becoming a star for the home team, Chris was falling in a 10-year-long spiral of addiction. He bounced from team to team, country to country. Ultimately, Chris, the youngest and most talented of three generations of local heroes, has found redemption and personal fulfillment through the game, but only after it led him literally around the world, down a path of alcohol and drug addiction that nearly killed him.
RSVP here.
Run Ricky Run
Tuesday, December 11th, 6:00 p.m.
Ricky Williams does not conform to America's definition of the modern athlete. In 2004, with rumors of another positive marijuana test looming, the Miami Dolphins running back traded adulation and a mansion in South Florida for anonymity and a seven dollars a night tent in Australia. His decision created a media frenzy that dismantled his reputation and branded him as America's Pothead. But while most in the media thought Williams was ruining his life by leaving football, Ricky thought he was saving it. Through personal footage recorded with Williams during his time away from football and beyond, filmmaker Sean Pamphilon takes a fresh look at a player who had become a media punching bag and has since redeemed himself as a father and a teammate.
RSVP here.
More information on ESPN Films can be found in the media kit.