Four exceptionally tall youths from Senegal come to the U.S. in the hope that eventually each will be selected for a position on a pro basketball team.
Release Date: October 21st, 2011
DVD Release Date: February 14th, 2012
PG |1 hr 24 min
Plot SummaryFour exceptionally tall youths from Senegal come to the U.S. in the hope that eventually each will be selected for a position on a pro basketball team.
Director: Anne Buford
Genres: Documentary
Elevate works as a sympathetic portrait of cultural adjustment (learning in a nonnative language, sticking to Muslim dietary restrictions), but never adequately addresses the problems of what's essentially a neocolonialist system designed to shape impoverished Africans into first-world profit-makers. show more
One of the many beautiful things about this affecting, informative doc is the opportunity it gives to see the American college sports world through different eyes. show more
Long on hopefulness but short on sobering realities, Elevate proves a compelling if superficial look at the arduous path traveled by Senegalese teens hoping to make it to America for a higher education and an NBA career. show more
