Sonicsgate

Sonicsgate: Requiem For A Team (2009) is a 2009 educational feature documentary film chronicling the rise and demise of the Seattle SuperSonics NBA franchise 1967-2008, The film contains exclusive, High-Definition interviews with former Sonics figures and fans including Gary Payton, George Karl, Wally Walker, Kevin Calabro, Sherman Alexie and others. It also contains local news and press conference footage.

Cast

Sonicsgate collected more than 55,000 online views from Oct. 12 to Nov. 10, 2009 and more than 250,000 to date.

Theatrical Screenings

The film's producers independently booked a four-day East Coast premiere in New York City at the People's Improv Theater from April 28 - May 1, 2010. During the NYC premiere, ESPN dedicated an entire episode of its sports journalism program Outside the Lines to the Sonics Saga and Sonicsgate movie, showing a 3-minute trailer of the film and having director Jason Reid on as a guest contributor.

In May 2010, the prestigious Park City Film Series gave Sonicsgate a special selection to screen in Utah at the Park City Film Music Festival, which recognizes films with the best musical scores and soundtracks. After the festival, Sonicsgate took home the Audience Choice Silver Medal for Excellence.

Critical response

In its December 2009 Year in Media issue, Sports Illustrated wrote the following about Sonicsgate:

"The Most Persuasive Grassroots Flick (of 2009)... Don't be fooled by the price tag: This pitch-perfect documentary shows the collateral damage when a team leaves town." — Sports Illustrated, Dec. 21, 2009 issue, Page 73

Laremy Legel of Film.com wrote:

"Sonicsgate is interesting for the larger questions it asks about our culture. Do cities owe teams brand new facilities every decade? Should billionaires and millionaires receive subsidies in the name of civic pride?"

Bob Condotta of the The Seattle Times Movie Review wrote:

***^1/2 out of **** "More than just a sports film, Sonicsgate also reveals some larger truths about government and big business, that ultimately everything comes down to ego, power and money."

Sara Michelle Fetters of MovieFreak.com wrote:

"Reid's film is about love, loss and the heartache that ensues when a beloved enterprise decides to skip town, the removal of the Supersonics from Seattle leaving a hole the size of which still hasn't been fully calculated."

Bill Simmons, bestselling author and ESPN.com columnist, wrote:

"The Sonics were stolen from Seattle — literally, STOLEN, and if you don't believe me, watch this movie."

Matt Lawyue of SLAM Magazine wrote:

"This is a must-watch film for any basketball fan... By the end, you just want to hug a Sonics fan."

Awards and Festival Selections

The producers of Sonicsgate were all in attendance to accept the award for Best Sports Film, but they unveiled a special surprise guest to accept the award on stage on their behalf: legendary Seattle SuperSonics point guard Gary Payton.

As is the Webby Awards tradition, honorees are limited to acceptance speeches of five words or less. Payton said these five words as he accepted the award on behalf of the Sonicsgate filmmakers: "Bring Back Our Seattle SuperSonics!"

The video from Payton's speech is on the Webby Awards YouTube Channel, and a longer version shot by Sonicsgate cinematographer Ian Connors is viewable on the Sonicsgate YouTube Channel.

Steve Kelley, longtime sports columnist for The Seattle Times who is also interviewed in Sonicsgate, was embedded with the film's producers for the Webby Awards Gala and described the festivities in his column:

As host B.J. Novak from "The Office" introduced him, Payton came on stage to loud applause. (Only Buzz Aldrin received a louder ovation, and he walked on the moon, for crying out loud.)

Payton, dressed in a gray suit, strode to the microphone and said what everyone associated with the film, everybody who came to its showings in Seattle and most everybody who has taken the time to watch it on the Internet, wants most.

"Bring back our Seattle SuperSonics", Payton said forcefully, and this mostly-New York crowd stood and cheered as if he'd just said, "Bring back Willis Reed."

Standing alongside Payton, wearing Sonics T-shirts, were the film's executive producer Camp Jones and director Jason Reid. They unfurled a Sonics banner just before Payton's "speech."

"It blew me away", Reid said of the standing ovation.

Sonicsgate was an unconventional piece of filmmaking. It was a full-length documentary, released for free on the Internet. It encapsulated everything this night was about — openness and a new way of expression.

Shortly after the Webby Awards Gala, ESPN blog SportsCenter.com posted a lengthy interview with director Jason Reid on its website.

Original score and soundtrack

The Sonicsgate soundtrack features songs by several northwest hip-hop artists including Jake One, Blue Scholars, Grayskul, Common Market, Dyme Def, Grynch, Neema, Spaceman, Wizdom, Cancer Rising and Sir Mix-a-Lot. It also features the song "SuperSonics" by Seattle rock band Presidents of the United States of America.

These artists donated their music to the soundtrack to further the Sonicsgate cause. Like the film itself, the soundtrack is streaming free online but is not available for sale. Individual tracks are available for purchase through the artists' accounts on third-party sites such as iTunes and Amazon.

External links