Kevin Laue, if you haven’t heard of him by now, is about to get his documentary close-up in a film that looks powerful even if you know the story. The 6-10 player from mid-California showed up nationally when he stated, again and again, that he wanted to play Division-I hoops. One problem: His left arm ends at the elbow, the result of little circulation in the womb when the umbilical cord wrapped around it. We’ve got the trailer here for “Long Shot,” the film by Franklin Martin and produced by Dutchmen Films.
The documentary begins a run at the Quad Cinema in New York City on Oct. 26, a film years in the making after Martin met Laue at an AAU event. Another injury during Laue’s senior season kept scholarship offers from arriving, so he went to a military prep school, Fork Union. His story went national and the president of Manhattan College took the story to the Jaspers’ coach and asked him to consider recruiting the player. His dream came true and Laue played three seasons for Manhattan, though in limited minutes.
His story is so well known because of where he eventually landed that “Long Shot,” as evidenced by the trailer, shows his life leading up to the decision to go D-I. Martin followed Laue for four years. After debuting at the Quad, the filmmakers plan to take the movie to a national audience. In a year with several incredible basketball documentaries — think “Dream Team” and “The Other Dream Team,” for a few — this seems to stack right up there.
LONG SHOT – The Kevin Laue Story -Trailer from Franklin Martin on Vimeo.
Will you see this?
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