CORRECTIONS: In a previous version of this article, Basil Anastassiou’s thoughts were misrepresented. He said people often make assumptions and racial judgments about the men who play pick-up basketball. The number people who play in a game was also misstated. The games involve teams of four playing on a half court. In a photo accompanying the same article, the subject was misidentified. The photo of the man looking through the fence was Daquan Young. The Daily Orange regrets these errors.

To outsiders, a pickup basketball game within an urban, run-down park might seem like an odd thing.

“If you’re just walking by, you really don’t understand it,” said Basil Anastassiou, a Syracuse University alumnus and filmmaker.

Anastassiou co-directed “Ballin’ at the Graveyard,” a new documentary aimed at debunking the common racial and cultural stereotypes associated with pickup basketball and its rough and gritty nature. On Friday, Sept. 20, the film will make its Syracuse premiere at the Manlius Art Cinema. The first showing will be at 6:45 p.m. and will be followed by a Q-and-A with the directors and some cast members. Thirteen screenings are scheduled so far in its run through Sept. 26.

Tickets will be sold at $8.50 for adults and $7.50 for students. After the week of screenings in Manlius, the movie tour will head to Rochester and then to Buffalo.

Pickup basketball is commonplace throughout the United States, but Anastassiou said Americans people often make assumptions and racial judgments about the men who play pick-up basketball.

“I see young moms pushing the stroller fast, couples walking by and just kind of looking down and looking away,” he said, describing the reactions of those walking by the courts.

Despite being a white male, Anastassiou said he wasn’t shy about addressing these issues of racial stereotypes in his film. He is proud to argue against the common stereotypes present in our society and the media.

“It has such a positive message about African-American men,” Anastassiou said, “in a media culture that is very much not providing that presentation.”

Several years ago, Anastassiou said he and his friend Paul Kentoffio wrote and developed a short film. They were in the final stages of pre-production when Anastassiou brought Kentoffio down to his favorite local basketball court, Albany’s Washington Park, for some inspiration.

The court was built over a cemetery, acquiring the nickname “The Graveyard.” And Kentoffio was swept away.

“Within five minutes of being in that atmosphere, I was struck by the incredible energy,” Kentoffio said. “I could tell that there were other stories below the surface at that court.”

The two agreed to put their short film aside and dive into the story of “The Graveyard.” The independently funded film took roughly six years to produce.

Because both Anastassiou and Kentoffio have full-time jobs, the majority of their filming took place on Saturdays and Sundays during the summer months. Anastassiou is a speechwriter for New York state comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli and Kentoffio serves as the director of communications for the New York state and Local Retirement System.

While filming, Anastassiou, also a longtime basketball player and fan, often joined in on four-on-four pickup games and conversed with the Graveyard’s regulars. Because Anastassiou had immersed himself into the culture, Kentoffio did most of the camera work and was able to evaluate the deeper storylines.

One person featured in the film is Jamil Hood. He has been a regular at the Graveyard for the past 30 years and is currently the dean of students and varsity basketball coach of Green Tech High Charter School in Albany. He compares his days at the Graveyard to family gatherings.

“At the end of the day, we all shake hands, and it’s brotherly love,” Hood said.

Kentoffio had similar feelings, recalling that, “there’d be eight guys playing a game at one time yet there were another 30, 40, 50 guys on the sideline who were just happy to be together.”

Anastassiou said he was exposed to the rich environment of pickup basketball at a young age, and the stories and relationships produced by that atmosphere have had a profound effect on him. He hopes to share the same enlightening, fun and often-hilarious experiences with audiences throughout the region and the country.

Said Anastassiou: “We just want it to go as far as it can and touch as many people as it can.”

For a full schedule of show times and venues,  visit www.ballinatthegraveyard.com.

Published on September 18, 2013 at 1:11 am

Contact Bobby: reobrien@syr.edu