April 2, 2002

Basketball Documentary at MASS MoCA in May

(North Adams, Mass.) Soul in the Hole is an intimate portrait of a volunteer basketball coach and his on and off the court relationship with his young team. The poignant documentary which will play at MASS MoCA on Thursday, May 2, at 8 P.M. takes a realistic look at the gritty neighborhoods of Brooklyn. From producers Lilibet Foster (Speaking in Strings), Mel Lawrence (Powaqqatsi), and Melissa Neidich (Dark Days), the film has been critically acclaimed. "An excellent documentary" according to The Los Angeles Times which also sights "spectacular no-look passes and the all-but-indescribable moves."

As coach Kenny Jones and his team, Kenny's Kings, prepare for the championship "Soul in the Hole" tournament, Jones tries to help his star player Ed "Booger" Smith, a troubled youth who has lived on his own for many years. "If I don't make it to the NBA, I'm gonna be a drug dealer," according to Booger. Although he is barely literate and may have a criminal record, a major university tries to recruit Smith who at first revels in the attention but later, and without explanation, wants to walk away from a full scholarship. A hopeful look at what one man can do when he cares, and what he can't, Soul in the Hole provides a glimpse into the desperate search for a way out of a life of poverty.

For basketball fans and sociologists alike, Soul in the Hole is a memorable film which The New York Times called "utterly non-judgmental."

Tickets for Soul in the Hole are $5. MASS MoCA members receive a 10% discount. Tickets are available through the MASS MoCA Box Office at 1040 MASS MoCA Way in North Adams from 11 A.M. until 5 P.M. Wednesday through Monday. Tickets can also be charged by phone by calling 413.662.2111 during Box Office hours or purchased on line at www.massmoca.org.

MASS MoCA, the largest center for contemporary visual and performing arts in the United States, is located on a 13- acre campus of renovated 19th-century factory buildings. MASS MoCA focuses on the work of visual and performing artists charting new territory.

For Immediate Release
Contact: Katherine Myers
(413) 664-4481 x8113
katherine@massmoca.org