The film directed by Akin Omotoso shows the incredible journey of athletes before becoming world basketball celebrities.
The movie is now available on Disney+ “Rise”feature film that portrays the titanic history of the family Antetokounmpothe same one that with years of effort (and not a few sacrifices through) became a true dynasty in the NBA.
After emigrating from Nigeria to Greece, Charles and Vera Antetokounmpo (Dayo Okeniyi and Yetide Badaki, respectively) managed to survive and provide for their five children while living under the daily threat of deportation.
“With their eldest son still in Nigeria with relatives, the couple were desperate for Greek citizenship, finding themselves undermined by a system that blocked them at all times,” reads the synopsis for the film directed by Akin Omotoso.
When they weren’t selling souvenirs to tourists in Athens, with the rest of the family, the brothers Giannis (Uche Agada) and Thanasis (Ral Agada) they played basketball on a local team. “Newcomers to the sport, they discovered their great abilities on the basketball court and worked hard to become world-class athletes together with their brother, Kostas (Jaden Osimuwa)“, adds the synopsis.
What came next made history. With the help of an agent, Giannis entered the NBA Draft in 2013 in a milestone that would change the lives of his entire family. Later, Giannis and Thanasis were key in the first championship of the Milwaukee Bucks, while Kostas made a name for himself in the prestigious Los Angeles Lakers starting team.
“For me, the film is a family story, first, and also a sports film. And really, part of the challenge was how to maintain that family history and not let the sporting aspect overwhelm her,” said the film’s screenwriter, Arash Amel (“A Private War”), at a press conference to which he had access. BioBioChile.
“Often it’s easy to write the classic structure of a sports movie, but for me, when I write something, it has to be extremely personal. And family history was what spoke to me from the very beginning, when I first came to it,” he adds.
for the basketball player Giannis Antetokounmpo, also the producer of “Rise”, the experience of being portrayed on the big screen was unforgettable. “First of all, (the actors) were very kind… I was very surprised that they could actually jump,” he joked about his sportsmanship. “But no, I didn’t give them any advice,” he specified.
“When I was watching the movie and I was
watching myself, basically, I was like: ‘no, how this guy studied me, there’s no way’… And then I asked Akin and he said they showed him clips, the way I use my hands, how
I put them… You did an amazing job. Everyone who played our family did an amazing job. Now we feel that they are our family and that they are part of us,” she said.
