Just got back from the Queens World Film Festival where I saw the world premiere of
https://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1803843886/nwhl-history-begins
I backed this film way back in 2015, so it was pretty exciting that it actually finished production and got released. Way back then they got permission to film the very first NWHL season behind the scenes. It just took them all these years to edit it and get it together.
After the screening the organizers of the film festival came in to publicly complain about how this film really pushed the deadline and got finished well past the last second. They also proceeded to award the director, Rachel, with their filmmaker of the year award. That should tell you how good this movie is.
The best part of the film is just the incredible footage they were able to obtain. They showed things Iâve never seen in any sports documentary before. Things that people would usually never give permission to be released, even if they gave permission for it to be recorded, are included here. If this had been a documentary of a big time menâs sport, it would be a sensation.
There is footage from the commissioner at actual business meetings preparing to talk to the NHL. There is footage of the commissioner checking their e-mail shopping for trophies from Tiffanyâs. There is footage from locker rooms and players on the team bus. There is footage of players at their day jobs. There is footage of injured players getting medical care. There is footage of players at their homes living their lives and talking with their families.
The one that got me the most, and that I asked about, was audio from the Boston coach cursing out the players on the bench! It happens every game, but nobody ever lets anyone release it publicly. Incredible! They told me that the coach is actually the nicest sweetest person and they found that audio very late during production, like buried treasure, and added it in at the last second.
Most of the film really focuses on sports storytelling. They even said that as a sports fan themselves, itâs not the score that people care about as much as the story, and they are exactly right about that. For a sport to grow it needs people in the media to tell its stories to make people care. This movie serves exactly that purpose for womenâs hockey.
Stylistically itâs most similar to âThe Last Danceâ. Itâs not as purely detached as âSennaâ, but itâs also not injecting the directorâs voice like a Michael Moore film. There are a few text titles providing some purely informational updates regarding more recent events, or replacing footage that they, for good reason, did not want to show. There are interviews, but all the questions being asked are cut out. You only hear the answers.
I also commend it for being so well balanced. It doesnât try to hide or sugarcoat any of the reality, but simply present it as-is. The audience is left to make their own judgements regarding the events that took place, and the people that took part in them. There are really high highs and really low lows, and theyâre all included.
One thing I particularly enjoyed was that they spent a lot of time telling the story of one player who was basically on the bubble for the CT Whale. Some games they were in, some games they werenât in. They got injured at one point as well. By focusing on this person more instead of an Olympian, they painted a much more realistic picture of the life of a professional womenâs hockey player.
Negative things I would say about this film. I assume due to travel difficulties it focuses mostly on the CT Whale and the Boston Pride. The Riveters and Buffalo Beauts get much less screen time. Also, production wise, there were some audio issues. One scene had a player cooking an omelette at home, and the noise of spatula on pan was very unpleasant.
They said they are re-doing their trailer, so it will be up soon-ish. Also, their distributor is going to get the film on the purchasable places like iTunes and Prime soon enough. I think anyone who enjoys sports documentaries and anyone who cares about hockey should definitely see it.