Jim Stern, the director of this documentary also co-directed "Michael Jordan to the Max", the IMAX movie that was very good. I wonder if this is an IMAX movie as well? http://us.imdb.com/Title?0245280
Ichiro vs. Yao Tour buses still stop at Safeco Field. Japanese teens file out with cameras clicking and camcorders filming, trying to capture anything Ichiro. The only problem is it will be five months before the right fielder plays in the ballpark again. "It doesn't matter," said Howard Lincoln, Mariners chief executive officer. "They want to be where Ichiro played." After experiencing two years of Ichiromania, fans in Seattle can understand the hoopla around Yao. Ichiro had about 100 media members at spring training his rookie season and 50 accredited media members tracking his every move last season. Most games were cross-cultural galas in the stands with fans dressed in traditional Japanese garb, holding signs or waving fans with Japanese characters on them to cheer Ichiro. It's no surprise. According to the 2002 U.S. Census, 10.3 percent of the Seattle metropolitan area is Asian/Pacific Islander. The pressure to perform extends beyond the ballpark. "When Ichiro goes to bat, he's not only worried about what the fans in the stands at the stadium or watching on television think, he's also performing for his entire country," Lincoln said. "It's a tremendous amount of pressure." Yao is under the same microscope. ************.com is dedicated to anything Yao. It even has a running play-by-play that meticulously records his every move during games. There's a television crew following Yao around to film a documentary. And as Yao tours the West Coast playing with the Rockets, the arenas suddenly have a high Asian population that applauds his every step. "I felt like I was the only person on the court at times," Yao said after the Rockets defeated Golden State on Wednesday in Oakland. The season-high crowd of 18,401 was predominantly Asian. The Warriors accommodated the crowd by making announcements in English and Mandarin and had a halftime show that featured martial arts and colorful lion dancers. "He's representing them," said Jim Stern, co-producer and director of "Michael Jordan to the MAX" and producer of the Yao documentary. "He's the first to break through and you can't fathom how popular he is. It's not just Asian Americans, either, I saw an African-American woman at a Houston game standing in a Chinese dress holding a sign that said something like 'Ming Dynasty' in English and Mandarin. That was so cool." The difference between Ichiro and Yao is their demeanor. While Ichiro brushed off the media, Yao flashes his million-dollar smile in news conferences and doesn't shy away from a little joking. After playing Dallas Mavericks center Shawn Bradley, he said, "Now I know I'm not the skinniest guy in the league." And when asked how he handles all this pressure, through an interpreter Yao said, "The best way to deal with it is sleeping." http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/sports/134586234_soni29.html
I wonder if it will be one of those candid documentaries - you know, it's dark in a room where Yao gets home from a game. They close up, and tears are streaming down his anguished face. "I just do not understand," he says softly, choking on his words. "Cuttino just won't pass me the ball. It is hard, you know? I come here and try fit in and they freeze me out. Sometimes I wish I was back in my homeland, where the rivers flow as freely as my peoples' spirits. I wish to be back in China right now. Oh, well. Another day dawns tomorrow. I am tired."
I posted the article last November on this bbs but since the search function is not working I guess the easiest way is to repost the article so here it goes: Lights, camera, Yao: Big man headed for big screen By Daniel Kaplan and John Lombardo Houston Business Journal Nov. 11 ¡X In a joint venture with the National Basketball Association, the producer of hit Broadway shows "Hairspray" and "The Producers" is shooting a feature-length documentary on Chinese basketball sensation and Houston Rocket Yao Ming. James Stern, who also produced IMAX film "Michael Jordan to the Max," says the film will be aimed at mass audiences. "This is an incredibly compelling story from the sports angle, but also the cultural angle," Stern says. Stern and his company, Endgame Entertainment, have committed $5 million to the project intended to document Yao's journey from China on draft day through his rookie season with the Houston Rockets, which began last week. The NBA's entertainment division is a partner in the project. It's the latest evidence of the NBA's effort to expand into the vast and potentially lucrative Asian market, fueled by the hype surrounding the 7-foot-6-inch center who was the first pick in this year's NBA draft. Since the draft in June, the league opened an office in China, launched a Mandarin-language Web site and struck several TV deals on the mainland. NBA Commissioner David Stern told the cable program "Best Damn Sports Show Period" last week that when Yao's games are televised in China, the television audience there is larger than the 287 million population of the United States. Shooting began at the NBA draft. Endgame filmed Yao at the World Basketball Championships in Indianapolis this summer, and Adam Del Deo, another producer working on the project, recently returned from shooting in China. James Stern, who is not related to the commissioner, says distribution plans could encompass a range of options, from cable to network to theater, but nothing has been set in stone. He added that the film should have strong overseas and domestic appeal. The movie is expected to cost up to $5 million, compared to a $5 million to $10 million range for "Michael Jordan to the Max," Stern says. The difference is due to the cost of the IMAX format. The Jordan film, which opened in May 2000, grossed more than $18 million. Stern says he has no revenue projections for the current project. Endgame and the NBA would likely split any profits in half, though Stern says there is nothing contractual yet. Tall order The movie may be expanded to include two other foreign first-round choices, Brazilian Nino Hilario and Nikoloz Tskitishvili from the Republic of Georgia, both of the Denver Nuggets. American Jay Williams of the Chicago Bulls, who was the No. 2 overall pick, may also be included in the film. If all four players are included, the film would focus on four players hailing from four different continents. James Stern, who is also a part-owner of the Chicago Bulls, says the idea in making this movie is to capture "what is happening to world of basketball, and what that means from a business perspective." Originally, the plan was to include all four players in the film, but the Yao story, given his negotiations with the Chinese communist government to free himself to play in the NBA and the sharp cultural differences between China and the United States, made him the focus. The other three have not been dropped, Stern says, but right now the project will focus on Yao, who already has been featured on the cover of Sports Illustrated and the front page of USA Today. The movie will help bring more attention to a Houston Rockets franchise that hasn't made the playoffs since 1999, team President George Postolos says. The Rockets do not have a financial stake in the movie. "We think it's a great idea and we are supportive of the joint venture," Postolos says. "We think it will reflect positively on Yao Ming and bring positive attention to the team, so we are encouraging him to do this." Next year, the club moves into its new downtown arena, and the Rockets are counting on Yao to raise their profile to help attract sponsors and sell premium-seating packages in a market that has seen two new sports facilities ¡X Minute Maid Park and Reliant Stadium ¡X open in the past two years.
This sounds like it will be a cool movie and a DVD that alot of fans would buy as a momento of this past season. Question is - will it deal frankly with the problems that Yao had getting integrated in the Rockets system and the reluctance of some of the players to pass him the ball? Doing so would definitely ruffle some feathers but it would be the truth...
