WWU alum’s documentary nominated for Oscar

Written by kie | The Bellingham Herald | January 24, 2012

A Western Washington University alum has been nominated for an Oscar for his documentary about an inner-city high school football’s team run for a playoff game — and respect.

Seattle native and Western alum T.J. Martin was nominated, along with fellow filmmakers Dan Lindsay and Richard Middlemas, in the best documentary feature category for “Undefeated.” The Academy Award nominees were announced Tuesday, Jan. 24.

The Academy Awards ceremony will be on Sunday, Feb. 26. “Undefeated” is up against four other documentaries in its category.

Here’s a synopsis of the film:

Set in the inner-city of Memphis, “Undefeated” chronicles the Manassas Tigers’ 2009 football season, on and off-the-field, as they strive to win the first playoff game in the high school’s 110-year history.

A perennial whipping boy, in recent decades Manassas had gone so far as to sell their home games to the highest bidder, but that all changed in the spring of 2004 when Bill Courtney, a former high school football coach turned lumber salesman, volunteered to lend a hand.

When he arrived, the team consisted of 17 players, some timeworn equipment and a patch of grass masquerading as a practice field.

Focusing more on winning young men than football games, the football program nevertheless began resurrecting itself and, in 2009, features the most talented team Manassas has ever fielded; a team that seems poised to end the playoff jinx that has plagued the school since time immemorial.

A coming-of-age documentary film, “Undefeated” provides audiences an intimate view of an underprivileged group of teens and their inspirational coach, as they attempt to make history.

See the clip below.

Tags: Western Washington University, WWU