Based on true events, Lionsgate’s PRIDE
tells the inspiring story of Jim Ellis, a charismatic
schoolteacher in the 1970s who changed lives forever when he
founded an African-American swim team in one of
Philadelphia’s roughest neighborhoods. Directed by Sunu
Gonera, this life-affirming drama stars Academy Award ®
nominee Terrence Howard (Hustle & Flow, Crash, Ray), Bernie
Mac (Guess Who, Oceans 12, Bad Santa) and Kimberly Elise
(Diary of a Mad Black Woman, Manchurian Candidate, John Q).
The year is 1973, and Jim Ellis (Terrence Howard), a
college-educated African-American, can’t find a job. Driven
by his love of competitive swimming, Jim converts an
abandoned recreational pool hall in a Philadelphia slum with
the help of Elston (Bernie Mac), a local janitor. But when
city officials mark the new Philadelphia Department of
Recreation for demolition, Jim fights back – by starting the
city’s first African-American swim team. Recruiting troubled
teens from the streets, Jim struggles to transform a motley
team of novices into capable swimmers – all in time for the
upcoming state championships. But as racism, violence and an
unsympathetic city official threaten to tear the team apart,
Jim must do everything he can to convince his swimmers that
victory, both in and out of the pool, is within their reach…
By turns comic, rousing and poignant, PRIDE is a triumphant
story about team spirit and courage in the face of
overwhelming odds. The film is produced by Brett Forbes,
Patrick Rizzotti, Michael Ohoven, Adam Rosenfelt, and Paul
Hall. Story by Kevin Michael Smith & Michael Gozzard.
Screenplay by Kevin Michael Smith & Michael Gozzard and J.
Mills Goodloe and Norman Vance, Jr.
©2007 Lions Gate. All rights reserved.
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