| Sonicsgate: Requiem for a Team | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Jason Reid |
| Produced by | Jason Reid Adam Brown |
| Written by | Adam Brown Camp Jones Darren Lund Jason Reid Joshua Bell Dennis Manza |
| Narrated by | John Keister |
| Starring | Sherman Alexie Kevin Calabro Percy Allen Chris Daniels Art Thiel Steve Kelley Slade Gorton Gary Payton Wally Walker |
| Music by | Lil Kriz John E. Low Curtis Seals Steve Stearns |
| Cinematography | Ian J. Connors Darren Lund Jason Reid |
| Editing by | Adam Brown Darren Lund Jason Reid |
| Studio | 2R Productions Seattle Supersonics Historical Preservation Society (SSHPS) |
| Distributed by | SSHPS |
| Release date(s) | October 9, 2009 |
| Running time | 120 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Box office | N/A |
Sonicsgate: Requiem for a Team is a 2009 documentary film chronicling the rise and demise of the Seattle SuperSonics NBA franchise 1967-2008,[1][2] having left Seattle after 41 years to relocate to Oklahoma City and become the Thunder.[3][4][5][6][7][8][9]
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Sonicsgate chronicles the Seattle SuperSonics relocation to Oklahoma City, focusing on the more scandalous corporate and political reasons why the Sonics left Seattle and became the Oklahoma City Thunder in July 2008.[10] The film contains interviews with former Sonics figures and fans including Gary Payton, George Karl, Wally Walker, Kevin Calabro, Sherman Alexie and others. It also contains local news and press conference footage.
On Oct. 12, 2009, the film's producers opted to release the 120-minute feature cut online for free viewing on their website without any advertising or revenue sources embedded in order to spread their grassroots message to as wide an audience as possible.[12][13]
Sonicsgate collected more than 55,000 online views from Oct. 12 to Nov. 10, 2009 and more than 250,000 to date.[14][15][16]
Sonicsgate premiered at two sold out screenings in Seattle at SIFF Cinema (Oct. 9, 2009) and Pacific Place Cinemas (Oct. 10, 2009). Seattle's SIFF Cinema (Seattle International Film Festival) picked up Sonicsgate for a one-week theatrical run from Dec. 11 to Dec 17, 2009.[14][17]
In February 2010, the Beer And Movie Fest (BAM Fest) of Portland, Oregon selected Sonicsgate to screen at the Bagdad Theater and Pub as part of the four-venue, 50 film festival.[18]
The film's producers independently booked a four-day East Coast premiere in New York City at the People's Improv Theater from April 28 - May 1, 2010.[19] During the NYC premiere, ESPN dedicated an entire episode of its sports journalism program Outside the Lines to the Sonics Saga and Sonicsgate movie, showing a 3-minute trailer of the film and having director Jason Reid on as a guest contributor.[20]
In May 2010, the prestigious Park City Film Series gave Sonicsgate a special selection to screen in Utah at the Park City Film Music Festival, which recognizes films with the best musical scores and soundtracks.[21] After the festival, Sonicsgate took home the Audience Choice Silver Medal for Excellence.[22]
Sonicsgate: Requiem For A Team has received positive reviews from sports critics.
In its December 2009 Year in Media issue, Sports Illustrated wrote the following about Sonicsgate:
"The Most Persuasive Grassroots Flick (of 2009)... Don't be fooled by the price tag: This pitch-perfect documentary shows the collateral damage when a team leaves town." — Sports Illustrated, Dec. 21, 2009 issue, Page 73[23]
Pete Croatto of AMC Film Critic wrote:
**** out of ***** "The movie's unsettling truth is out there for all to learn: A fan's love for their team can be taken away by outside forces... That series of unfortunate events is expertly recounted and explained in the absorbing documentary, Sonicsgate." [24]
Laremy Legel of Film.com wrote:
"Sonicsgate is interesting for the larger questions it asks about our culture. Do cities owe teams brand new facilities every decade? Should billionaires and millionaires receive subsidies in the name of civic pride?" [25]
Bob Condotta of the The Seattle Times Movie Review wrote:
***1/2 out of **** "More than just a sports film, Sonicsgate also reveals some larger truths about government and big business, that ultimately everything comes down to ego, power and money." [26]
Sara Michelle Fetters of MovieFreak.com wrote:
"Reid's film is about love, loss and the heartache that ensues when a beloved enterprise decides to skip town, the removal of the Supersonics from Seattle leaving a hole the size of which still hasn't been fully calculated."[27]
Bill Simmons, bestselling author and ESPN.com columnist, wrote:
"The Sonics were stolen from Seattle — literally, STOLEN, and if you don't believe me, watch this movie." [28]
Matt Lawyue of SLAM Magazine wrote:
"This is a must-watch film for any basketball fan... By the end, you just want to hug a Sonics fan." [29]
On June 14, 2010, the 14th Annual Webby Awards Gala was held at Cipriani in New York City.[34] The Webby Awards recognize the best content on the internet as selected by the International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences, a 650-person global organization whose members include David Bowie, Harvey Weinstein, Arianna Huffington, Matt Groening, Internet inventor Vinton Cerf, Twitter co-founder Biz Stone and Virgin Group Chairman Richard Branson.[35]
The producers of Sonicsgate were all in attendance to accept the award for Best Sports Film, but they unveiled a special surprise guest to accept the award on stage on their behalf: legendary Seattle SuperSonics point guard Gary Payton.
As is the Webby Awards tradition, honorees are limited to acceptance speeches of five words or less. Payton said these five words as he accepted the award on behalf of the Sonicsgate filmmakers: "Bring Back Our Seattle SuperSonics!"
The video from Payton's speech is on the Webby Awards YouTube Channel, and a longer version shot by Sonicsgate cinematographer Ian Connors is viewable on the Sonicsgate YouTube Channel.
Steve Kelley, longtime sports columnist for The Seattle Times who is also interviewed in Sonicsgate, was embedded with the film's producers for the Webby Awards Gala and described the festivities in his column[36]:
As host B.J. Novak from "The Office" introduced him, Payton came on stage to loud applause. (Only Buzz Aldrin received a louder ovation, and he walked on the moon, for crying out loud.) Payton, dressed in a gray suit, strode to the microphone and said what everyone associated with the film, everybody who came to its showings in Seattle and most everybody who has taken the time to watch it on the Internet, wants most. "Bring back our Seattle SuperSonics", Payton said forcefully, and this mostly-New York crowd stood and cheered as if he'd just said, "Bring back Willis Reed." Standing alongside Payton, wearing Sonics T-shirts, were the film's executive producer Camp Jones and director Jason Reid. They unfurled a Sonics banner just before Payton's "speech." "It blew me away", Reid said of the standing ovation. Sonicsgate was an unconventional piece of filmmaking. It was a full-length documentary, released for free on the Internet. It encapsulated everything this night was about — openness and a new way of expression.
Shortly after the Webby Awards Gala, ESPN blog SportsCenter.com posted a lengthy interview with director Jason Reid on its website.[37]
The music of Sonicsgate was recognized at the 2010 Park City Film Music Festival in Park City, Utah,[21] winning the Audience Choice Silver Medal for Excellence.[22] The original music score for the film is credited to Seattle-area composers Lil Kriz, Curtis Seals, Steve Stearns and John E. Low.[38]
The Sonicsgate soundtrack features songs by several northwest hip-hop artists including Jake One, Blue Scholars, Grayskul, Common Market, Dyme Def, Grynch, Neema, Spaceman, Wizdom, Cancer Rising and Sir Mix-a-Lot.[39] It also features the song "SuperSonics" by Seattle rock band Presidents of the United States of America.
These artists donated their music to the soundtrack to further the Sonicsgate cause. Like the film itself, the soundtrack is streaming free online but is not available for sale.[40] Individual tracks are available for purchase through the artists' accounts on third-party sites such as iTunes and Amazon.[39]
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