Kevin Shaw is a Chicago-based director, producer, cinematographer, and editor. His previous film, Let the Little Light Shine, was nominated for an Emmy Award and a Peabody Award, and he’s also worked on multiple projects with Oscar-winner Steve James (City So Real, America To Me) and sports projects for ESPN.
His new film, One Golden Summer—a chronicle of the 2014 Jackie Robinson West Little League team’s inspiring, heartbreaking, and ultimately redemptive journey—is premiering as the Opening Night selection of the 61st Chicago International Film Festival.
We spoke with Kevin about the inspiration behind his film, what it means to premiere at the #ChiFilmFest, and some of his favorite Chicago sports moments that could inspire great docs.
Your documentary One Golden Summer covers a major Chicago sports moment and its aftermath – but it’s been over 10 years since the summer of 2014. What led you to this project and when did you start working on it?
One of our producers, Bob Teitel, developed a relationship with the Jackie Robinson West families shortly after they won the U.S. Little League World Series Championship. The team made a cameo appearance in Barbershop 3. Bob wanted to make a narrative film about the boys’ inspirational victory. Then the controversy hit, the title was stripped, and several lawsuits ensued. The thought of making a Hollywood-style flick turned into an opportunity to document the journey of what these families were going through as litigation transpired between the boys, their families and Little League International.
In 2020, Bob and his producing partner for this project, Betsy Steinberg, began looking for a director and they called me. Betsy was coming off her time as Executive Director at Chicago’s storied documentary production house, Kartemquin Films and I had just finished work on Kartemquin’s America to Me docuseries with Steve James and was editing Let the Little Light Shine. Being a South Sider and having intimate knowledge of the JRW story not only as a fan, but professionally because I worked that series as a remote producer for ESPN, I believed I could be a good fit for the project. Thankfully Bob and Betsy believed so too, and in 2021, we began conducting our first interviews amid a pandemic. It was a crazy time, working with COVID parameters, trying to stay safe and healthy while waiting for the lawsuits between JRW coaches and Little League International to be resolved. It’s been an intense production and editing process, one that will take us right up to the debut date in October to be complete. We’re glad to finally close this chapter and give audiences a chance to embrace this story with fresh eyes and new insight.
Chicago’s a city that takes pride in our sports teams and their accomplishments, and the 2014 Jackie Robinson West Little League team was no exception. How did you balance the joy and triumph of 2014 with the difficulties that followed?
For the decade or so, there was a lot of finger-pointing as to who was to blame for Little League International stripping the U.S. Championship from Jackie Robinson West. While everyone had an opinion as to why this happened, from race, to money, to moral quandaries involving fairness in sports, we never heard from the young men who were at the forefront of the story. The guys of JRW were only 12 or 13-years-old when these events transpired. I believe these young men needed a passage of time to make sense of these incredibly dramatic and emotional moments. Once all of the lawsuits had been settled, (this fight went on for another seven years) I was most interested to hear from the JRW players, looking to understand from their point-of-view what it was like to be at the highest of highs and then face the lowest of lows, a barrage of social media hate and out-in-the open bullying. What’s amazing about their story is despite the disdain they received from some, they’re still considered heroes to many in the community. This contrast says a lot about our society and how we view one another despite our differences in race, creed and culture. The story of these young men’s perseverance is one that’s never been told, until now with One Golden Summer.
Your previous films Let the Little Light Shine and America to Me explored issues of race, community, and education in Chicago. How did those films influence your work in One Golden Summer?
I don’t think you can tell a story about Chicago without dealing with race and community. They are so intertwined in our city and nation’s fabric. One Golden Summer explores how stereotypes fed the media’s coverage of the Jackie Robinson West players and families and how the community reacted to the information presented. When a rival coach blows the whistle on JRW rule violations, the coach’s racial background figures prominently in not only the news coverage but the community’s response. To not investigate what led to certain reactions and commentary would be doing the story a disservice. After watching the film, the audience can ask itself, did race play an integral part in how the JRW players were perceived and how the story was received? The film is another deep look at America, this time through the guise of seemingly innocent youth sports.
Chicago has a strong history of documentaries, from Steve James (who you’ve worked with before on City So Real, America to Me, Let The Little Light Shine, and who received a special thanks credit in this new film) and Kartemquin, to 2018’s Minding the Gap, “The Last Dance” miniseries, and more. Why do you think that is, and how has the city’s film scene shaped you as a filmmaker?
We’ve got an incredible stable of documentary filmmakers here in Chicago, some who are young and emerging and others who have been around the block and are established veterans in the game. What makes Chicago a talented breeding ground for documentary filmmakers is, in my opinion, the lack of ego that exists amongst everyone. People who direct documentaries here in the city will work on other filmmaker’s projects as a cinematographer, editor, producer, etc., due to their interest in the story and their desire to contribute to the team. That generosity doesn’t happen everywhere. Sure, many times we are all fighting for the same funding and distribution opportunities, but we do celebrate each other’s wins and are ready to lend a helping hand when adversity comes around the corner. That’s why it’s hard to beat Chicago when it comes to creating documentary films.
What does it mean to have your film make its World Premiere on Opening Night of the Chicago International Film Festival?
It’s the greatest honor in the world to me. Being born and raised in Chicago, opening a festival in your hometown, it’s a dream come true. If you think about all the films that have played at the Chicago International Film Festival and then those that opened the festival, you’re talking about a who’s who of cinematic history. To be a part of that legacy is something all of us involved in the making of One Golden Summer will cherish forever. Now add on the fact this is the World Premiere of the film…I can’t really put all the emotions into words. It will be a very special night.
If you could pick one other Chicago sports moment or phenomenon to make a doc about, what would it be?
It’s hard to say because a lot of our best stories have already been told, from triumphs like the Michael Jordan Bulls dynasty and ’85 Bears Super Bowl Shuffle season, to tragedies like the shooting death of Simeon great Benji Wilson. But a good what-if story might be what happened in the summer of 1994. Led by MVP slugger Frank Thomas, third baseman Robin Ventura, shortstop Ozzie Guillen, and a rotation anchored by Jack McDowell and Wilson Álvarez, the White Sox were in 1st place; a favorite to reach their first World Series since 1959.
But then, the season vanished. The longest strike in baseball history wiped out the playoffs, the World Series, and the White Sox’s chance to exorcise the 1919 “Black Sox” curse. While we finally won that elusive World Series title in 2005, a championship could’ve come earlier and might have tilted the crosstown rivalry bias down South instead of up North.
What’s your favorite Chicago movie (sports or otherwise!)?
It might not be considered a “Chicago-centric” film because the city was being used as a fictional stand-in for Gotham City, but The Dark Knight, to me, is one of the best comic book films of all-time. Director Christopher Nolan featured many of our most iconic Chitown locations which helped create the film’s dynamic action and atmosphere. Watching The Joker wreak havoc on LaSalle Street in front of the Chicago Board of Trade building, flipping a bus along the way, is epic, as is the death-defying chase sequence featuring the Batman’s Tumbler vehicle blowing up trucks in Lower Wacker Drive. These are unforgettable moments that made Batman and Chicago a one-of-a-kind marriage that will stand the test of time.
212 W Van Buren St., Suite 400
