The Other Dream Team

The Other Dream Team is a documentary film directed by Marius A. Markeviius. It covers the inspirational story of the 1992 Lithuania national basketball team and their journey to the bronze medal at the Summer Olympics in Barcelona. The film not only looks at the Lithuanian team but also at the broader historical events. The fall of the Soviet Union allowed Lithuania to reestablish its independence and enter the Olympics as an independent country. After 50 years of Soviet oppression, the Lithuanian basketball team was a symbol of hope and liberation.

Marius A. Markeviius is a LithuanianAmerican director. It took him over three years to make this film. The documentary combines historical footage with new interviews. During filming, the Lithuanians were asked to speak in English for the interviews. But because of the emotional nature of the topic, speaking in their native tongue was easier. A series of cutaway scenes follows an upandcoming Lithuanian player, Jonas Valaninas, from his native Utena to the NBA draft of 2011. The documentary also shows Arvydas Sabonis being inducted into the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame in 2011.Lithuanian basketball players, notably Arvydas Sabonis and arnas Mariulionis, played for the Soviet Union national basketball team in the 1988 Olympics in Seoul. There were four starters from Lithuania who were on the Soviet team. The players were promised that they could play on western teams if they won gold, which they did with a 7663 victory over Yugoslavia. Mariulionis became the first Soviet player to join the NBA. Sabonis was actually the first Lithuanian to be drafted onto an American team but because of the Iron Curtain he was not allowed to leave. Not only that but Americans did not like that he was a Russian player. During a TV interview featured in the film, Sabonis pointed out that he was not Russian but Lithuanian. ........

Source: Wikipedia