About Sweetwater:
Synopsis:
Sweetwater was born to change the game. Revered as the father of basketball as it’s now known and loved by millions, Harlem Globetrotters phenom Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton overcame a lifetime of barriers and a barrage of discrimination to become the first African American to join the NBA.
Tagline:
The Inspiring True Story of the NBA's First Black Basketball Player.
Rating:
TV-14
Runtime:
118 Minutes
Press Releases
About the Cast and Filmmakers
Everett Osborne was born and raised in Los Angeles, California, where he began acting at the age of four. He graduated college with a degree in Psychology from the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley, where he served as President for all student-athletes.
In 2022, he appeared on the television screen displaying a riveting performance as the guest lead of "Will David Hollander" on NBC Chicago Fire. Shortly after, Osborne booked the starring title role of "Nathaniel Sweetwater Clifton" in the motion picture 'Sweetwater' based off the first African American to sign a NBA contract (from the Harlem Globetrotters to the New York Knicks), and forever changing how the game of basketball is played. He starred opposite Cary Elwes, Jeremy Piven, Richard Dreyfuss, and Kevin Pollack. During the press run of the film he participated in the NBA Celebrity All-Star Game in Utah, and broke the scoring record. The film can currently be streamed on Hulu, and was most recently nominated for an NAACP award for "Outstanding Independent Motion Picture". More recently, Everett has put his producer cap on, starring and producing the short film 'Burnout' from executive producer, and Oscar Winner, Jamie Lee Curtis.
Cary Elwes was born in Westminster, London, England, the third son of interior designer/shipping heiress Tessa Georgina Kennedy and the late portrait painter Bede Evelyn Dominick Elwes. He is the brother of producer/agent Cassian Elwes and artist Damian Elwes. He was raised in London and attended Harrow. After graduating from Harrow, he moved to the US and studied drama at Sarah Lawrence College. He left school after two years to begin his film career. Cary is well respected by colleagues and fans alike and considered by many to be one of the finest actors working today. He is interested in history and says, "It's deliberate that a lot of my films have been period pieces". He is politically active for causes he believes in, such as protecting the environment and helping Native American people. Elwes is married to Lisa Marie Kurbikoff, a stills photographer.
A household name for his 2x Golden Globe and 3x Emmy Award-winning performance playing the fast-talking, acerbic Hollywood agent ‘Ari Gold’ in the HBO series Entourage, actor, comedian, and podcast host Jeremy Piven also achieved significant success playing the title role in the British/PBS television drama series Mr Selfridge, the semi-fictional story based on the life of Harry Selfridge, who founded the London department store Selfridge's. Piven has also appeared in numerous successful films, including Grosse Pointe Blank, Singles, Very Bad Things, The Family Man, Black Hawk Down, The Kingdom, Heat, PCU, Old School, Rock N Rolla, Serendipity, Smokin' Aces, and Runaway Jury.
Piven appears as Joel Lapchick the man responsible for helping Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton break the color barrier in the NBA in 1950 in the movie Sweetwater, which releases in theaters in October. His next project, The Performance, an adaptation of an Arthur Miller work, is in post now.
Kevin Pollak started as stand-up comedian in San Francisco at age Twenty. A few years later he moved to Los Angeles with dreams of appearing on The Tonight Show w/ Johnny Carson, and being in movies… 200 acting auditions later, his role in Ron Howard’s “Willow” brought him directly to the couch on Carson’s “Tonight Show.” After his first appearance, Kevin was invited back to chat with Johnny two or three times a year until he retired. Years later, Comedy Central named Pollak to their Top 100 Comedians of All Time list, and he continues to perform around the country, from time to time. In 1992, Pollak’s role in Rob Reiner’s "A Few Good Men,” proved his ability to stand out on the big screen among cinematic icons. The unplanned transformation of Kevin becoming a dramatic actor was further established two years later, when he co-starred in "The Usual Suspects” and Martin Scorsese’s "Casino"; in the same year. Kevin has now co-starred in over 90 films, with four more due out in 2024/2025.
New fortunes found Pollak on the small screen in 2017… After being offered the part of Moishe Maisel in “The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel,” Kevin felt another historic adventure was beginning… Amazon Prime Studios’ worldwide hit enjoyed a meteoric rise, gathering 20 Emmy Awards in its first 3 seasons (including Best Comedy), 3 Golden Globes, 5 Critics Choice awards, and many more from the Directors Guild, Writers Guild, and Producers Guild. The entire cast were given Screen Actors Guild Awards two years in a row for Best Ensemble in a Comedy Series.
Pollak insists, “Co-starring on this show, with these astonishing actors, and actual genius creator/writers/directors in Amy Sherman-Palladino and Dan Palladino, was life-changing in the truest sense.” Pollak’s first outing as a film director, the comedy documentary Misery Loves Comedy, premiered at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival. It hit #1 on iTunes Documentaries in two days, and is available on Amazon Prime. Kevin then directed the indie comedy, “The Late Bloomer,” casting J.K. Simmons, Jane Lynch, Maria Bello, Brittany Snow, Kumail Nanjiani and Beck Bennett, which brought Kevin his first directing award, and is available on Netflix. At present, Pollak is in pre-production on his next film to direct. Pollak was also a pioneer in the podcast world. His multi award-winning Kevin Pollak’s Chat Show ran from ’09-’19, and featured the longest on-camera chats creative icons like Tom Hanks, Larry David or Jordan Peele have given.
There are 400 of these interviews to choose from on YouTube. Kevin’s autobiography, How I Slept My Way To The Middle, was published in 2012. That same year Pollak’s notable “deep run” in the 2012 World Series Of Poker Main Event may have ended with Queens vs Queens, but finishing 134 (out of 6750 players) remains the best finish for a well-known actor or comedian in the last 25 years. Kevin cashed again in the WSOP Main Event in 2019, and in 2024 he cashed a third time in the Main Event, besting 8,900 players.
Richard Dreyfuss is an American leading man, who has played his fair share of irritating pests and brash, ambitious hustlers.
He was born Richard Stephen Dreyfus in Brooklyn, New York, to Geraldine (Robbins), an activist, and Norman Dreyfus, a restaurateur and attorney. His paternal grandparents were Austro-Hungarian Jewish immigrants, and his mother's family was Russian Jewish.
Richard worked his way up through bit parts (The Graduate, for one) and TV before gaining attention with his portrayal of Baby Face Nelson in John Milius' Dillinger. He gained prominence as a college-bound young man in American Graffiti and as a nervy Jewish kid with high hopes in The Apprenticeship of Duddy Kravitz. By the latter part of the 1970s Dreyfuss was established as a major star, playing leads (and alter-egos) for Steven Spielberg in two of the top-grossing films of the that decade: Jaws and Close Encounters of the Third Kind. He won a Best Actor Oscar in his first romantic lead as an out-of-work actor in The Goodbye Girl. Dreyfuss also produced and starred in the entertaining private eye movie The Big Fix. After a brief lull in the early 1980s, a well-publicized drug problem and a string of box-office disappointments (The Competition, Whose Life Is It Anyway?, The Buddy System), a clean and sober Dreyfuss re-established himself in the mid-'80s as one of Hollywood's more engaging leads. He co-starred with Bette Midler and Nick Nolte in Paul Mazursky's popular Down and Out in Beverly Hills. That same year he provided the narration and appeared in the opening and closing "bookends" of Rob Reiner's nostalgic Stand by Me. He quickly followed that with Nuts opposite Barbra Streisand, Barry Levinson's Tin Men in a memorable teaming with Danny DeVito, and Stakeout with Emilio Estevez. Dreyfuss continued working steadily through the end of the 1980s and into the 1990s, most notably in Mazursky's farce Moon Over Parador, Spielberg's Always, Postcards from the Edge and Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead. He appeared as a member of an ensemble that included Holly Hunter, Gena Rowlands and Danny Aiello in the romantic comedy Once Around and as a pop psychiatrist, the author of several successful self-help books, who is driven to the edge by nutcase Bill Murray in the popular comedy What About Bob?. Dreyfuss has also remained active in the theater ("Death and Maiden", 1992) and on TV. In his next project he starred the thriller Silent Fall with John Lithgow and Linda Hamilton, being the film debut of Liv Tyler, Steven Tyler's daughter (Aerosmith's lead vocals). Just later Dreyfuss made Another Stakeout, sequel of Stakeout where was team again with Emilio Estevez accompanied of Rosie O'Donnell, the adaptation of Neil Simon's play Lost in Yonkers and followed with a supporting turn as the querulous political opponent in The American President. Dreyfuss received some of the best notices of his career as a determined, inspiring music teacher coping with a deaf son and the demands of his career in Mr. Holland's Opus. Closing the 20th century he was in Sidney Lumet's Night Falls on Manhattan with Andy Garcia, the crime comedy Mad Dog Time as the mob boss Vic, the screwball comedy Krippendorf's Tribe about an anthropologist who creates a false lost New Guinea tribe for not losing his job in the university, TV movie Lansky about the infamous mob boss to end, the too TV movie Fail Safe playing The President, and The Crew, about four older mobsters retired in Miami, partnering with Hollywood legends Burt Reynolds, Dan Hedaya and Seymour Cassel.
His start in the 21st century was with the adaption of Luis Sepúlveda's novel The Old Man Who Read Love Stories, playing an old man to must to hunt a female jaguar turned crazy. It was followed by the supporting apparition in the comedy Who Is Cletis Tout? and another TV movie about 1981 Ronald Reagan's shooting The Day Reagan Was Shot. After the short-lived TV series The Education of Max Bickford about a teacher in a women's college where his daughter is student, Dreyfuss returned to cinema in Silver City and the box-office bomb Poseidon with Kurt Russell, Emmy Rossum and Josh Lucas. Playing former vice-president Dick Cheney in the Oliver Stone's biopic W. and Irv, the cunning tourist in Greece turned in assistant of a troubled tour guide in My Life in Ruins, Dreyfuss participated in low-budget productions as Leaves of Grass and The Lightkeepers, for making a cameo in the wild and crazy Piranha 3D about prehistoric men-eater piranhas that make a bloodbath in a spring break. Returning to first line playing evil Alexander Dunning in the actioner RED, his further productions included Paranoia as Liam Hemsworth's father partnering Harrison Ford and Gary Oldman, road movie Cas & Dylan opposites Tatiana Maslany and the biopic TV mini-series Madoff about the infamous multi-billion-dollar and hustler Bernie Madoff. Tireless and always implied in new projects, Dreyfuss played George, the funny online date of Candice Bergen in Book Club, the comedy and road movie The Last Laugh with Chevy Chase, and the set in wilderness thriller Daughter of the Wolf with Gina Carano and Brendan Fehr. Making his 73rd birthday in 2020, Dreyfuss is an example of talent, diversity and love for his work, touching not only all the genres in cinema but leaving an unforgettable footprint at any of them.
James Patrick Caviezel was born on September 26, 1968 in Mount Vernon, Washington. He was one of five children born to Margaret (Lavery), a former stage actress, and James Caviezel, a chiropractor. The Caviezels are a closely knit Catholic family. He is of Irish (mother) and Swiss-Romansh and Slovak (father) descent; the surname, "Caviezel", is Romansh. As a boy, Jim was described as being "very intense." His two main interests growing up were sports and religion. He was athletically gifted on the basketball court and dreamed of someday playing in the N.B.A. He was also instilled with Christianity at a very young age, attending Church regularly with his family. In 1984, he went to Mount Vernon High School but transferred to O'Dea High School after two years. The following spring, he transferred again to Burien Kennedy High School in Burien, Washington where he was a star on the basketball team and graduated in 1987. While at O'Dea and Kennedy, he stayed with family friends. Following high school Jim enrolled at Bellevue Community College where he again played on the basketball team. A foot injury in his sophomore season put an end to Jim's basketball career and his dreams of playing in the N.B.A. Shortly after this, he turned his focus toward acting. In 1990, he auditioned for a part in the independent film My Own Private Idaho. He won a very small role as a foreign airline clerk after he told casting agents that he was a recent Italian immigrant. The following year, Jim moved to Los Angeles where he worked as a waiter between auditions. He landed small roles in Diggstown and Wyatt Earp and guest starring roles on The Wonder Years and Murder, She Wrote. He continued to go relatively unnoticed in small roles and even thought about quitting acting until 1998 when he received critical recognition for his role as idealist Private Witt in The Thin Red Line. The following year, he gained further recognition with roles in Ride with the Devil and Frequency. In 2001, his role as Jennifer Lopez's love interest in Angel Eyes helped to establish him as a versatile actor and leading man. It wasn't until 2002 that Jim made his strong religious beliefs known. While filming High Crimes, he refused to do any love scenes with on-screen wife Ashley Judd because it conflicted with his strong Catholic faith. It was also around this time when he was chosen by Mel Gibson to star as Jesus Christ in The Passion of the Christ. The movie made headlines and broke box-office records around the world, becoming one of the highest grossing films of all time. Although the movie dealt with controversial matters, Caviezel's performance was acclaimed by both critics and viewers. Jim's next big role would be on the small screen. In 2011, he landed the lead role in the CBS crime drama Person of Interest. The show instantly clicked with audiences, becoming one of the highest rated shows on television. From an outcast actor to a respected film star to a television star, James Caviezel is continuing to give his best to play challenging roles. Off screen, Jim lives with his wife, Kerri, a school teacher whom he met on a blind date in 1993 and married in 1996, and their adopted children.
Though still in the early stages of her blossoming career, 25-year-old vocalist, violinist and songwriter, Emmaline, has accomplished an impressive laundry list of achievements so far. From being featured in top music publications such as Rolling Stone and American Songwriter to performing as the opening act for 10-time-GRAMMY winner Chaka Khan on her first ever US tour, this Nashville based, independent artist captivates the hearts of all who hear her smoky, jazz-infused, genre-fluid voice.
Using the power of social media, Emmaline kick started her career in 2018 by sharing acoustic covers of popular songs and original material to her social media platforms (@emmalineofficial) where she now boasts nearly 500k followers. Emmaline shines on stage whether it be online or in person, and has performed countless sold-out shows at some of the country's most notable jazz clubs, music venues and festivals.
As one of the generation's leading independent female songwriters and arrangers, Emmaline's independently released EPs, "All My Sweetest Dreams" and "Necessity" have organically generated millions of streams on Spotify alone. On March 24th 2023 Emmaline's long awaited, third EP, "Retro Kind of Love,'' released worldwide. The EP features a collection of intimate, jazz-pop songs written, produced and performed by Emmaline herself. With her effortlessly sultry vocals and heartfelt lyrics interspersed with virtuosic, jaw-dropping jazz violin solos, this enticing collection of songs creates a soundscape that is both nostalgic and timeless. More information can be found at www.emmalineofficial.com
Roberts is an Academy Award nominee for his role in Runaway Train, and a three-time Golden Globe nominee for Runaway Train, Star 80, and King of the Gypsies.
In addition, Roberts received acclaim at the Sundance Film Festival for his role in A Guide to Recognizing Your Saints and It's My Party. He also starred in La Cucaracha, which won Best Film at the Austin Film Festival, and for which Roberts won Best Actor at the New York Independent Film Festival that same year. Other notable performances include his roles in The Dark Knight, Final Analysis, and Paul Thoman Anderson's Inherent Vice for Warner Bros., Millennium Films' Lovelace and The Expendables for Lionsgate.
On television, Roberts' memorable recurring roles include USA's Suits, CSI and Code Black for CBS, NBC's Heroes, and Crash for Starz. He has appeared in guest star roles on ABC's Greys Anatomy, NBC's Will & Grace, Fox's Brooklyn Nine-Nine, CBS' Hawaii Five-O, HBO's Entourage, and so much more.
Upcoming, Roberts plays Matt Dillon's doctor in Head Full of Honey, a Warner Bros. Germany production that is directed by Til Schweiger. Emily Mortimer and Nick Nolte also star. He also has a supporting role in the independent Hard Luck Love Song directed by Justin Corsbie. Roberts will play "Skip," a grizzled doorman whom offers advice to characters played by Michael Dorman and Sophia Bush. The film also stars Dermott Mulroney, and American rapper, RZA. Finally, Roberts is set to recur as DEA boss "Erick Sheldon" in La Reina del Sur for Telemundo Global Studio and Netflix.
Roberts was born in Biloxi, Mississippi, and grew up in and around the Atlanta area. He began his career in theatre in New York City where he won the Theatre World Award for his role on Broadway in Burn This.
He resides in Los Angeles with his wife of 26 years and brood of felines.
Roberts is represented by Sovereign Talent Group, Cultivate Entertainment, and Miles Anthony Associates in the UK.
Ernest Harden Jr. was born on 25 November 1952 in Detroit, Michigan, USA. He is an actor, known for White Men Can't Jump (1992), Hollywood Homicide (2003) and Three Days of the Condor (1975).
Robert Ri'chard was born on 7 January 1983 in Los Angeles, California, USA. He is an actor and producer, known for Coach Carter (2005), House of Wax (2005) and One on One (2001).
Kevin Daley is a 10-year former captain and leader of the world-famous Harlem Globetrotters, where he served as the showman known as "Special K". Throughout his legendary career leading the Globetrotters, Kevin quickly became a fan favorite worldwide and is now considered one of the greatest Globetrotters of all time. Mr. Daley has been featured in hundreds of news publications and on TV shows internationally. You also may have seen him in one of more than a dozen TV commercials, including the favorite of Michael Jordan himself, where Kevin played the double for Jordan in Gatorade's number one commercial of all time.
Martin Guigui is an award-winning Filmmaker, Music Director, Producer, and Composer. Guigui has directed, written, and produced Feature Films, Music Videos, composed music for film and TV, worked on over 150 productions, produced over 50 music albums, toured extensively, and Music Directs high profile Broadcast Concert Events including the popular "Guitar Legends" and "America Salutes You" TV Series. Guigui is Co-Founder and President of Sunset Pictures, and EVP of Pacific Records. Born in Buenos Aires Argentina, son of renown Orchestra Conductor Maestro Efrain Guigui, Martin had an eclectic upbringing in New York City, Puerto Rico and Vermont. A music prodigy playing Violin at age four, his concert debut at age 12, now an accomplished Pianist and keyboard player.
Guigui has won numerous "Best Director" Awards, Grammy nominated, Billboard Awards, ASCAP Awards, United Nations Award, Caesar Award, Golden Spirit Award, Estabrook Award, twice honored by City Of Los Angeles for artistic contributions to music education, Martin produces and music directs broadcast shows for Veteran causes, Mr. Holland's Opus Foundation, Endangered Species, and Prevention Of Child Abuse. Guigui helped organize and Music Directed the iconic "One America" Concert Event hosted by the 5 living U.S. Presidents raising $45 Million Dollars for Hurricane relief. Martin is a contributing author to the book "After Shock" (50th anniversary of "Future Shock"). Guigui was a standout High School basketball player and still passionately enjoys the game having played in the NBA Entertainment League with the likes of Adam Sandler, Will Ferrell, Justin Timberlake, Snoop Dogg, Jamie Foxx, Sacha Baron Cohen, and Kevin Hart.
Born in Miami, Dahlia graduated from New World School of the Arts and attended England's Oxford School of Drama. Through her distinguished associations with Richard Attenborough and Arthur Miller, as an actress Dahlia has caressed stages with memorable performances from London's National Theatre production of Twelfth Night to the John Anson Ford Theatre's production of Much Ado About Nothing in Los Angeles. Best known for her starring role alongside Ann-Margaret and Sonia Braga as a series regular on the CBS drama series Four Corners and as a recurring guest star in Felicity, Dahlia went on to work with Burt Reynolds in "Hard Time", co-starred on America's Most Wanted, Criminal Minds: Suspect Behavior with Forest Whitaker, recurring role on HBO hit series True Blood and on the ABC Family series Jane By Design. Dahlia recently starred in "Selfie Dad" and "The Muppets" for Disney. Dahlia goes back to the stage anytime she can - most recently she performed at the Santa Monica Playhouse in "Plays in the Park" along with Esai Morales, Mark Rydell, Ed Asner, and George Segal. Dahlia's first venture into Producing was the passion project "Changing Hearts" in which she secured financing, Co-Produced and also had a supporting role. She Co-Produced the feature "Swing", Executive Produced National Lampoon's "Cattle Call" for Lions Gate Pictures, and Co-Starred and Co-Produced the thriller "Beneath the Darkness" starring Dennis Quaid, "9/11" starring Charlie Sheen, Whoopie Goldberg and Gina Gershon, "The Bronx Bull" and most recently "Paradise Cove" starring Mena Suvari, Todd Grinnell and Kristin Bauer van Straten. Dahlia was a financing consultant on the award winning documentary "Blackfish" and Produced the documentaries "Newman" and "Hero With A Thousand Faces". She is currently Producing the feature film "Sweetwater" while setting up "Big Finish" and "Gorgeous George". Dahlia is COO, Executive VP of Development and Head of Production at Sunset Pictures. She is a member of the PGA and SAG-AFTRA and a founding member along with Jimmy Smits, Sonia Braga and Esai Morales of the National Hispanic Foundation for the Arts. She and her husband Martin Guigui have three children.
DARREN MOORMAN is a seasoned producer and the head of Reserve Entertainment. He works with studios that include MGM, Lionsgate, Paramount Pictures and Netflix. Reserve develops and produces high-quality films and television programming that not only entertains, but also influences, impacts, and inspires audiences.
Working with Paramount Pictures, Darren produced Same Kind of Different as Me. The movie starred Academy Award® nominated actors Renee Zellweger, Greg Kinnear, Djimon Hounsou, and Jon Voight. Darren also created and produced the television show Mark Hamill’s Pop Culture Quest with Lionsgate. Reserve Entertainment’s latest release was Blue Miracle (Netflix Original), which starred Dennis Quaid.
Reserve just wrapped principal photography on a few other features including, The Hill starring Dennis Quaid, Boys of Summer starring Mel Gibson and Kevin James, and Sweetwater starring Cary Elwes, Kevin Pollak, and Richard Dreyfus. Darren also produced his first documentary with Chris Pratt, entitled Helen Believe. Darren and his wife Krista live in California with their two sons, Eli and Zion.
TIM MOORE (Producer) has overseen the physical production of all of Clint Eastwood’s films since 2002. He most recently produced the director’s upcoming “Juror #2,” starring Nicholas Hoult, which follows his work as producer on “Cry Macho,” starring Eastwood, “Richard Jewell,” “The Mule,” in which Eastwood also starred, “The 15:17 to Paris,” and “Sully,” starring Tom Hanks. Moore executive produced Eastwood’s 2014 box office success “American Sniper,” based on the book about Navy S.E.A.L. sniper Chris Kyle, starring Bradley Cooper. The film was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Picture. He was also executive producer on the big-screen version of the Tony Award-winning musical “Jersey Boys.”
In 2009, he executive produced the critically acclaimed drama “Invictus,” starring Matt Damon and Morgan Freeman, which received widespread acclaim and several Oscar and Golden Globe nominations, including a Golden Globe nod for Best Picture – Drama. In addition, Moore was an executive producer on “J. Edgar,” “Hereafter,” “Gran Torino” and “Changeling,” and served as a co-producer on the dual World War II epics “Flags of Our Fathers” and the award-winning “Letters from Iwo Jima,” which was Oscar-nominated for Best Picture. His work with Eastwood also includes the dramas “Mystic River,” which earned six Oscar nominations, including Best Picture, and “Million Dollar Baby,” which won four Academy Awards, including Best Picture. Additionally, he was an executive producer on Rob Lorenz’s “Trouble with the Curve,” starring Eastwood, Amy Adams and Justin Timberlake, and co-producer on Alison Eastwood’s directorial debut, “Rails & Ties.” In 2023, Moore produced the award-winning independent biopic “Sweetwater,” which tells the story of Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton, the first African American to sign an NBA contract. The film stars Everett Osborne in the title role and was directed by Martin Guigui.
Moore was a producer on the 2011 drama “In the Land of Blood and Honey,” which marked Angelina Jolie’s directorial debut. The film received a Golden Globe nomination for Best Foreign Language film, the Stanley Kramer Award from the Producers Guild and the Best Foreign Film Award at the NAACP Image Awards. Moore has also worked several times with director Rowdy Herrington, including as a producer on the ESPY-nominated biopic “Bobby Jones: Stroke of Genius.” Their earlier collaborations include the films “A Murder of Crows,” “Road House” and “Jack’s Back.” Moore’s other producing credits include Steve Buscemi’s “Animal Factory,” Arne Glimcher’s “The White River Kid,” the action hit “Need for Speed,” starring Aaron Paul and “Tommy’s Honour.” For television, he was the production manager on the telefilm “Semper Fi” and produced the telefilm “Stolen from the Heart.”