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Kickstarter campaign launched for "NWHL: History Begins" doc, see exclusive teaser (Video)
The upstart NWHL continues to take strides to win hearts and minds by putting their first year on film in NWHL: History Begins.
This isn't some homemade production by the league itself either. It's made in the vein of HBO's 24/7: Road to the Winter Classic. The filmmakers describe it as such:
NWHL: History Begins tells the story of the women and men who are challenging the status quo by creating the first women’s hockey league to pay its players. The triumphs and failures of the individual players and their teams will be set against the backdrop of the ultimate success or failure of the entire endeavor of professional women’s hockey. The highs and lows--winning streaks, losing streaks, injuries, disagreements, and the strong bonds that form between teammates who are balancing the pressures of life outside the rink--make up the backbone of this story about passion for hockey, the drive to win, and the place of women’s sports in our society.
The teaser for the film includes Hilary Knight (player for the Boston Pride, two-time Olympic silver-medalist, and five-time International Hockey Federation world champion), Angela Ruggiero (Hockey Hall of Famer; Olympic gold, silver, and bronze-medalist; past president of the Women's Sports Foundation), Dani Rylan (founding NWHL commissioner), and Erika Lawler (Olympic silver-medalist and three-time International Hockey Federation world champion).
Take a look at the exclusive teaser below:
In order for this film to become a reality, a Kickstarter campaign has been created to raise $45,000, the budget for two months of film production - a bargain by most movie making standards, just ask Michael Bey.
Again, this project was not something the NWHL hired someone to do. Instead, the league gave permission to follow them around to the film's producer is Rachel Koteen of 540 Films. She's not a fresh out of film school newbie. Here is her bio:
Rachel Koteen was the co-producer on the PBS series and transmedia project Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide, (winner of 4 Realscreen awards and the Television Academy Honors), and the follow up PBS series A Path Appears for Show of Force. She was an associate producer on several projects for David Grubin Productions, including the Poetry Everywhere series for PBS and online distribution. While with David Grubin Productions, she was also the production coordinator for the PBS documentary The Buddha. Prior to working in film, she worked in politics on electoral campaigns and as a historical research assistant.
She's kind of a big deal. (Side note: if you haven't seen Half the Sky, see it. It will change your life.)
So if you're feeling generous as the holidays roll around, kick a couple bucks over to the film production to make this film a reality. Give these women the opportunity to introduce themselves to a wider audience who usually only meets a small portion of them four times a year.
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Jen Neale is an editor for Puck Daddy on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email her at puckdaddyblog@yahoo.com or follow her on Twitter! Follow @MsJenNeale_PD.
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