A film about an Elmwood Park bocce ball league has received a national rollout courtesy of Yahoo and the Nonfiction Hotlist.
“How We Roll,” which Anthony Ciancio completed last year, was one of 20 chosen from a field of 600. According to a Yahoo news release from Yahoo, the film became available to view across the media company’s platforms, including at yahoo.com/nonfictionhotlist, starting Aug. 13.
Yahoo launched its streaming sports channel last year and recently partnered with the Nonfiction Hotlist, which is intended to showcase independent documentaries, TV series and podcasts.
“How we Roll” is the story of Ciancio’s father, Mike, the man behind the bocce ball league in Elmwood Park. The film highlights the family history as well as the cultural history of the game in the Chicago area. In an interview last year, Anthony Ciancio explained how the film was a labor of love, taking years to make.
“How we Roll” began showing in late summer last year, and since then the director said he’s been busy both promoting it on the film festival circuit and beginning other work.
Ciancio said he’d recently moved on to another documentary project when an editor friend mentioned that Yahoo was taking submissions for a newly launched online venture.
“I didn’t even know it existed,” Ciancio said. “I submitted the film and I didn’t think much about it because we’re submitting to a lot of film festivals besides that.”
The last year’s been a whirlwind, he said, and amid all of his other work, he forgot about the Yahoo submission.
“I still haven’t gotten my head around the whole thing,” he said.
The Yahoo deal gets the filmmaker a licensing fee in exchange for exclusive rights for two years to market the film. Yahoo will host the film for four years — meaning Ciancio will have global exposure.
Ciancio said it’s good for independent and newer filmmakers, as that platform can help connect him to other people in the industry. He appreciates how Yahoo will provide contact details for everyone involved in making the film.
“Yes, it’s about to promoting the film itself, but it seems like it’s about amplifying the filmmaking team and spread awareness for future projects.”
He said independent filmmakers typically scramble to find film festivals that will take their work, and then they struggle to network and engage with creators and financial backers at the events.
“I’m happy it has a home and I think it’s cool that they’re going to use their network to push it out there,” he said.
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In the year since the film’s finish, Ciancio said he’s received some positive feedback from the filmmaking world. His film was screened at the Midwest Film Festival a month ago and did well. And “How we Roll” won Best Documentary earlier this year at the Big Shoulders International Film Festival at DePaul University.
Meanwhile, Ciancio said he’s wrapping up work on a documentary tentatively titled “Meet the Pigs” about Chicago cover band The Pigs. He’s also “in the process” of starting a production company with his wife and sister, who host a podcast, “Cozy Conversations with the Sister Project,” which he films.
It’s all about getting back behind the camera and making more films.
“You know I actually wished we were able to film more this year,” he said. “But after a documentary is made, there’s a lot of work to do on that front. But we’re excited to get back to shooting.”
Jesse Wright is a freelance reporter for Pioneer Press.