NEW ORLEANS – Approximately 2800 years after Greece held the first Olympic Games, a new film brings the Olympic spirit back to the home of the celebrated international sports competition. ‘Unseen Olympiad’ by the New Orleans-based documentarian Casey Shaw will have its world premiere at the 27th Thessaloniki International Documentary Festival in Greece on Tuesday, March 11, 6:15 PM, at the Ciné Tonia Marketaki (Warehouse 4, Navarchou Votsi 3, Thessaloniki 546 25).
The visually stunning feature — shot on 16mm analog film decades after most broadcasters have switched to digital for their coverage of major international sporting events — provides a rare, intimate look into the emotional states, whether anticipation, anxiety, joy or frustration, of athletes competing, some in preparation for future Olympian greatness.
‘Unseen Olympiad’ was filmed at the 2023 Fédération Internationale du Sport Universitaire (FISU, the International University Sports Federation) Winter and Summer World University Games in Lake Placid in the United States and in Chengdu in the People’s Republic of China. Captured on expired film from the eras of previous sporting events in both locations, the documentary is a visual marvel, exploring youthful athleticism and its power to unite and transcend the borders of language, culture, and gender. A poetic homage to athletes, past, present and future, the documentary blends moments from 25 summer and winter sports and is narrated in multiple languages to preserve cultural accuracy and embrace different philosophies from across the world. One of the only sports documentaries of competitions in both the United States and the People’s Republic of China, the film seeks to serve as a cultural bridge between the two nations.
The film screens a second time at the festival on Wednesday, March 12, 2 PM, at the Pavlos Zannas Theater (Olympion Cinema, Aristotelous Square 10, Thessaloniki 546 23).
“Once an image is exposed onto film, there is no going back. Likewise, in sports no second chances are given. The performance is brief, the result captured final,” said Shaw. “In the same way, ‘Unseen Olympiad’ provides a snapshot of the universal emotions we all feel: the uncertainty when facing challenges, the determination to succeed and the joy or disappointment at the outcome.”
‘Unseen Olympiad’ is the debut feature of Shawscope, the New Orleans-based motion picture production company and incubator founded by Shaw in 2019. The filmmaker drew inspiration from having attended 16 international multi-sport events and worked for the International Olympic Committee and FISU, where Shaw had a rare behind-the-scenes view of the moments an athlete has before and after the competition, often missed by international sports coverage. Shaw’s rich background includes work on a variety of movies, TV shows, commercials, and music videos as both a cinematographer (‘Katrina Babies’, ‘A Different Perception’) and camera technician (‘One Night in Miami’, ‘Causeway’, ‘Queen Sugar’, ‘Wendy’).
The crew of ‘Unseen Olympiad’ was comprised of non-major media market filmmakers from both the Southern United States and China, an intentional choice to provide fresh eyes and a distinct cultural perspective on international sporting events free from the systematic approach of studio-backed projects.
The film was produced by Kelly Dawkins, Miles Labat, and Casey Shaw. Associate producers are Haley Shaw, Alexandra Kern, Brianna Augustine-Meredith, and Cassi Rumping. Writers are Labat and Shaw. Levi Porter served as cinematographer. Spencer Poole is sound designer. Gin Shaw and Alan Shaw are executive producers.
For more information about the film, visit https://www.unseenolympiad.com/.
