Santa Fe Film Festival 2008

The documentary '50,000 Balls' tracks four junior tennis players on the road to the national championships, revealing the mental, emotional and physical demands and rewards of being a full-time student and top-ranked junior tennis player. 'This film was made to educate, motivate and inspire players, parents and coaches,' says Sara Weinheimer, who worked on the project with her late husband, Tom Pura, who created, produced and underwrote '50,000 Balls.' 'Tom wanted to capture this unique moment in the kids' lives when they have to be men on the court, but are boys off the court.' '50,000 Balls' showcases the tough and tender moments of competitive tennis by following the players and their parents and coaches through the 2006 summer tournament season, ending at the Boys' 12s National Championships in Little Rock, Ark. The boys are New York native T.J. Pura, who recently moved to Los Angeles; Mitchell Krueger of Aledo, Texas; Joseph DiGiulio of Newport Beach, Calif.; and Mitchell Polnet of Churchville, Penn. All boys are ranked in the Top 20 of their respective USTA Sections. Interviews with the players, parents and coaches are interspersed through hard-rocking on-court action and scenes from home and school. Bonus material includes coaches Tom Gullikson, Jay Berger, Gilad Bloom, Chris Lewis, Billy McQuaid, and Dave Licker discussing their coaching experiences and philosophies. '50,000 Balls' achieved 'Official Selection' honors at this summer's Newport (R.I.) International Film Festival, the Northern California Film Festival in Modesto, and the Rome (Ga.) International Film Festival.

In 1999, Governor George W. Bush buys a ranch in Crawford, Texas and calls it 'home'; an insular community explodes overnight. Bush declares candidacy for President, using Crawford as the perfect set-piece to project a folksy image. Months later, he thrusts the town of 705 into the spotlight as his token symbol - the President's 'Western White House.' Crawford is instantly overrun with international press corps and droves of flocking tourists. Shops open; Main St. booms; the locals watch themselves on national TV.But soon, the town's compelling characters feel the human impact of political stagecraft. The spotlight exacerbates tensions between freethinking and conformity, pushing a progressive teacher and her favorite student to the edge - and beyond. In 2004, the town newspaper endorses John Kerry; it's promptly boycotted. By 2005, the President's mounting problems follow him home. The conservative community finds itself hosting Cindy Sheehan's peace movement. 20,000 impassioned protestors and counter-protestors battle on Crawford's tiny streets. The symbol begins to change.Now, the Crawford's boom is busting like the Presidency itself. Tourists have stopped coming; land is overvalued; the bumper sticker and trinket shops are boarded up. But seven years of political stagecraft have made a graver human impact. Two characters are dead and one is leaving town. Bush is soon to abscond. Left to deal with the aftermath are the real people of Crawford. Their lives are changed forever. And their story is our own.