True North: Inside the Rise of Toronto Basketball (Feature)
On the heels of the Toronto Raptors’ historic NBA Championship and the record-setting number of Canadian draft picks, the Toronto hoop dream is more alive than ever. In this feature-length doc, director Ryan Sidhoo shines the spotlight on 12-year-old Elijah Fisher, 15-year-old Keone Davis and 18-year-old Cordell Veira as they navigate today’s youth basketball machine in pursuit of their own NBA dreams.
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creatorRyan Sidhoo
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directorRyan Sidhoo
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producerShirley Vercruysse
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line productionJennifer Roworth
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director of photographyJohn Price
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editorGraham Withers
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composerAlex Punzalan
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sound designerJohn DiemerTroy Slocum
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additional cameraChris RomeikeJesse McCrackenMatthew NauserAndrew BissonnetteMike McLaughlinJames Pace-CornsilkChris Wardle
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sound recordistRyan CoxNick DaveyNeil CurschmanBenjamin BartonDane KellyNathaniel RobinsonKevin BrownMike KoolBernie OzolMax HirtensteinJustin LacroixZach Thorpe
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coordinator, interviewsMike Hamilton
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production coordinatorVeronika PazNathan Conchie
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production assistantPatrick Sue-ChanMackie MontgomeryPaul KimMarcus ArmstrongChris Niesing
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still photographerYasin Osman
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researcherCaroline Coutts
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assistant editorMike Howey
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re-recording mixerIsabelle Lussier
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sound editorLuc LégerMichelle HwuChris Robinson
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digital colouristSerge Verreault
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graphicsJacknife
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VFXBun LeeCynthia Ouellet
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technical coordinatorWes Machnikowski
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studio administratorCarla Jones
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executive producerShirley Vercruysse
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executive directorMichelle van Beusekom
An intimate documentary following five aspiring basketball athletes. Ideal for classroom discussions, assignments, and projects related to youth sports. This documentary series covers the influential role corporate sponsorship has in youth basketball. Do you believe this relationship is exploitative? What are the potential moral problems that could arise from this situation? Are there any other larger societal issues you see reflected in the concept of the “basketball factory” or the series as a whole? Explain your answers. What overarching themes do you see connecting the five different people spotlighted in this series? What similarities do their stories share, and how do they differ? How do the people and themes of the series relate to your own life, experiences, and ambitions?
