A 45-minute award-winning documentary on the history of the Dolphin Park Classic basketball tournament has been stirring up memories after recently being released online at Vimeo.com.
Behind the documentary is digital producer and filmmaker Sean Campbell, a Surrey resident who worked with Study Hall Productions to create the film that takes a reflective and nostalgic look back at the 30-year-old tournament.
“In the last few years there’s been a lot of talk about the growth of basketball in Canada . . . There are seeds being planted all over the country and I was interested in one of those seeds, that being Dolphin Park, and looking at the way it has contributed to this growth as well as the impact on the community,” said Campbell, who has fond memories of the tournament, dating back to 2007 when he first witnessed it.
“I remember driving up and having to park blocks away. I thought this is amazing, why haven’t I heard of this? The place was packed, thousands of people, national team players. I was hooked,” said the 33-year-old.
Campbell grew up in North Vancouver and obtained two degrees, one in history and the other in education.
But it was a chance to work in the EA Sports marketing department in 2007 that launched Campbell’s work in film and digital production; his love for basketball translated quickly into producing the company’s NBA and NCAA games.
Campbell soon ventured out on his own to produce his own work.
It took three years to produce the film, which has since been screened at The Bronx International Film Festival, Miami Independent Film Festival, Roma Cinema DOC and Tryon International Film Festival, where it won the best documentary award.
Campbell took a unique approach to the film, adding no narration to it.
“That was just me wanting the people who were part of Dolphin and the organizers and those who played to be the focus — I wanted the story to be told from their perspective,” said Campbell, who compiled over 120 hours of video footage and hundreds of photos from past participants and spectators.
“I would keep interviewing people and keep editing,” said Campbell.
The classic streetball tournament began in 1986 in the small South Arm neighbourhood park, near De Beck elementary school.
It was born from the heated 1980s Richmond High-Steveston rivalry. The school’s coaches at the time, Kent Chappell (Steveston) and Bill Disbrow (Richmond), provide prominent insight for the film.
Campbell focuses on the community connections the tournament has fostered over the past three decades.
As tournament alumnus John Conners explains in the film, the tournament was “the Richmond Woodstock back in the day.”
Tournament co-founder Bira Bindra told the Richmond News he and other organizers are thrilled with Campbell’s film.
“I was completely surprised. I didn’t expect it to be the quality of a 30 for 30 (ESPN) type of film . . . We are completely in awe,” said Bindra.
“This tournament is really grassroots and we never wanted it to be a glamorous, commercialized event. This documentary really shows that,” added Bindra.
This summer will be the 31st annual tournament; due to growth, it will move from Thompson Community Centre to the two courts at South Arm Community Centre.
“It’s a bit closer to Dolphin Park so it may feel closer to home,” said Bindra.
Dolphin Park from Study Hall Productions on Vimeo.
