Growing up in the tough projects of Astoria, Queens, with an alcoholic mother and a schizophrenic father, 11-year-old Chamique Holdsclaw channeled the emotional turbulence of her childhood into a newfound passion: basketball. By the time she was in high school, the dynamic forward was the talk of the New York sports scene, and when she took the courts for the top-ranked University of Tennessee’s Lady Vols, she was being hailed as the “female Michael Jordan,” transforming the sport through her artistry, athleticism, and sheer drive. She seemed destined for a spectacular professional career—until her long-suppressed battles with mental illness threatened to derail her life.

Two-time Academy Award nominee Rick Goldsmith—a longtime member of Berkeley’s documentary community—focuses this intimate profile not only on Holdsclaw’s athletic accomplishments and personal setbacks, but on her particular achievement: becoming, despite public stigma, an outspoken advocate on mental health. Holdsclaw’s special mission is to reach communities where depression and bipolar disorder are too seldom acknowledged: among professional athletes, among African Americans, and particularly among youth, both straight and queer. As if to prove the difficulty of her battle against an unpredictable illness, even as Goldsmith was in the midst of shooting, Holdsclaw was arrested for a violent act against an ex-girlfriend. The film, narrated by Glenn Close, poignantly depicts Holdsclaw’s ongoing struggle for recovery, forgiveness, and redemption.

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Gold Star

DIR Igor Yankilevich 2014 USA 7 min Two basketball players confront their strained relationship in a game of one-on-one.