When film producer Darren Moorman heard that a movie about a Harlem Globetrotter was in the works, he was immediately interested.
“I’m a huge sports fan,” Moorman told The Epoch Times. “I am a former high school basketball coach turned filmmaker, and fell in love with this unknown story about Sweetwater.”
Sweetwater, whose birth name is Nat Clifton, was the first black man to sign a National Basketball Association (NBA) contract in 1950. He joined the New York Knicks after playing with the Harlem Globetrotters for two years.
“To me, it’s a story about hope, and overcoming is a part of that,” Moorman said. “Every movie I make I want to have something that gives the world some hope. That’s definitely what attracted me, and it’s a true story.”
The Harlem Globetrotters is an exhibition team of basketball players known for their extraordinary ball handling, dunking, and trick shots. Prior to 1950, African Americans were barred from playing professionally in the NBA and were relegated to playing with the Harlem Globetrotters.
Directed by Martin Guigui, “Sweetwater” is based on a true story about Clifton, who served in World War II before crossing the racial barrier and playing basketball professionally for the NBA.
“Sweetwater was willing to lay down his life for our country but he couldn’t play in the NBA,” Moorman said. “Those are the kind of things I was grateful to have learned about the story and to help bring that to light.”
The movie includes specifics about Clifton’s journey from the Globetrotters to the Knicks with the help of Knicks executive and coach Joe Lapchick who convinced the NBA to allow Clifton to play.
Moorman helped finance the film and was involved from script to screen.
“Sweetwater had a real mental toughness to him and physically he was a larger than life human being with huge hands and we put it in the movie that God gave him that special gift that God wanted used for an amazing purpose,” Moorman said. “He literally lived out the gift that God gave him.”
The Los Angeles production was completed at Warner Brothers Studios in association with the NBA.
“We have a licensing agreement and a marketing partnership with the NBA so they were fully invested,” Moorman said. “We had to have the rights to talk about the NBA.”
“Sweetwater” stars Everett Osborne as Clifton, Cary Elwes as New York Knicks founder Ned Irish, Jeremy Piven as Joe Lapchick, and Richard Dreyfuss as Maurice Podoloff who was president of the NBA from 1949 to 1963.
Osborne, who played professional basketball overseas, auditioned and won the lead role over more famous actors who wanted to be cast as Sweetwater.
“He was prepared and he just knew how to play this character so it was a unanimous decision among our team to choose Everett,” Moorman said. “Every shot you see and all the dunks were not visual effects. He made them all and we didn’t have to reshoot.”
After the film “Sight,” “Sweetwater” marks the second time that Moorman worked with Angel Studios, which is known for faith-based content such as the TV series “The Chosen” and the films “Possum Trot,” “Cabrini” and “Sound of Freedom.”
“As a man of faith, I try to incorporate my worldview into the films I make,” Moorman said. “I’ve been developing a relationship with Angel Studios and doing other projects with them.”
Jeff Harmon co-founded Angel Studios in Utah with his brothers, Neal and Jordan, in 2021. No completed film project, script, or screenplay is undertaken by Angel Studios unless first approved by the Angel Guild, a 250,000-strong worldwide network of creators that votes on which projects to undertake.
“Sweetwater scored very high with their Angel Guild membership and we were thrilled to partner up with them,” Moorman said. “The Harmons are huge basketball fans. So, they were excited about this project as well.”
“Sweetwater” is streaming on Angel.com and the Angel app.
