Earl Hopkins | The Philadelphia Inquirer (TNS)
PHILADELPHIA — Following the success of the Prime Video documentary Kelce, former Philadelphia Eagles Connor Barwin and Jason Kelce continue to dip their toes into filmmaking. But instead of the grit of the gridiron, they captured a different kind of Philly sports story.
They’re focusing on South Philly’s Vare Gymnastics Team in the short documentary Underdogs, which premieres at the Philadelphia Film Festival on Oct. 22.
The 26-minute film spotlights the triumphs of an underfunded gymnastics squad, who leap past the challenges they faced after the closing of the historic but dilapidated Vare Recreation Center in 2022.
Director Maria Vattimo said the Vare Gymnastics Team’s resilience and the City of Philadelphia’s plans for a new recreational facility felt like the “perfect story.”
“What stuck out to me is the opportunity to tell a female story about young gymnasts living in this community, who otherwise would have never had the opportunity to partake in a sport like this,” said Vattimo.
Executive producer Kris Mendoza said the documentary was originally slated to be a 10-minute fundraising video about the Make the World Better Foundation, which aids the development of rec centers in Philly’s urban enclaves. In partnership with the City of Philadelphia, the organization developed the nearly $20 million center that the Vare Gymnastics Team would later move into after using multiple temporary practice facilities.
But after meeting with Mendoza and Vattimo, foundation founder and former Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Connor Barwin decided a documentary would be a better showcase for their community-based efforts.
“We wanted to bottle up all the good that we do, and Vattimo thought we should show the impact, rather than tell people,” Mendoza said. “Vattimo found this gymnastics team, which really embodies the spirit of what the Make the World Better Foundation does to create spaces that let these young kids in the inner city feel valued.”
Vattimo, whose award-winning film Kim chronicled the life of a ballet dancer overcoming domestic abuse, said the female-dominated sport of gymnastics presents its own unique barriers.
“Gymnastics is a very expensive sport to be a part of, and it’s only really seen in wealthy communities where young girls can partake in something like that,” she said. “So we looked to see how we could tell this story and to find the right voices.”
Vattimo started filming the team’s hard-fought competitions and the young gymnasts’ late-night practices on a pad-covered basketball court floor.
Despite the challenges, head coach Kristin Smerker said the girls continued to rack up competition wins and proudly don the “Vare Gymnastics Team 4 Life” symbol on their backs. And she’s “grateful” Vattimo and others were able to capture their resilience for others to see.
“We loved every minute of filming,” said Smerker, who’s coached the Vare Gymnastics Team since 1998. “The gymnasts felt like superstars and were so happy to be a part of all of this.”
Barwin, who was a gymnast before transitioning to football in his youth, brought Kelce onto the project as an executive producer. Their last filmmaking venture was the 2023 Kelce documentary, which became the No. 1 movie on Prime Video in the United States.
“The story is only about those girls, those coaches, and about how important coaches and public community spaces are for young kids,” said Barwin, who shares an entertainment company with Kelce. “That’s the story, but I think me and Kelce’s background playing youth sports understand that and are proud to tell that story.”
The film, starring gymnasts Cherokee Guido, Elianna Olsen, and Su’Adaa “Susu” Muhammad, will premiere at 6:15 p.m. on Oct. 22 at the Film Society Center. A second screening is at 5:45 p.m. on Oct. 27 at the Film Society East theater.
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