A Whole New Ball Game!

From a faceless Brooklyn boy who was the sixth among seven siblings, Stephon Marbury achieved fame due to his prowess as a basketball player. From the NBA, he switched gears in 2010 to pursue his career in China, winning three Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) championships with Beijing Ducks and being hailed as the greatest foreign player ever to play in the CBA. A Chinese green card holder, he has also been honored by the Beijing authorities as one of the Top 10 Model Citizens for his phil- anthropic work in China. The 40-year-old’s biopic, My Other Home, directed by Chinese filmmaker Yang Zi, will be hitting the screens on August 4 with Marbury playing himself in the film. Before the premiere of the film, Yang talked to Beijing Review reporter Lu Yan about the maverick movie that combines both Chinese and foreign elements.

eijing Review You also wrote the screen- play for My Other Home. How did you get the idea for the film

Yang Zi Stephon Marbury has won phenom- enal victories for Beijing’s basketball team and it’s a story worth telling on the silver screen. The project was supported by the Beijing Municipal Government and Beijing Municipal Bureau of Sports and funded by Hairun Movie & TV Production Co. At first, they considered using a Hollywood scriptwriter since it’s a story about a foreigner, thinking it might make the film more international. But then they realized that foreign scriptwriters may not have a good understand- ing of a story unfolding in China, or the cultural differences Marbury faced. So they found me, a Chinese scriptwriter who had lived abroad.

Initially, I worked as a consultant, but as I dug deeper into the story, I was touched by it and put forward some ideas of my own. I was then asked to write the fi rst draft, which met the needs of the production team and producers. In this sense, the fi lm has been created by multiple parties who want to show the audi- ence, not just basketball fans, a story of sacrifi ce, teamwork and friendship, and a story of a group of people dealing with diffi culties on their way to realizing their dream.

How did you hit upon the different English and Chinese titles

My Other Home came from Marbury. It’s to the point since the film is about him going to an exotic land to fight for his dream. The original Chinese title was A New Yorker in Beijing but when we fi nished the fi lm, we realized the story is not entirely about this one basketball player. The Marbury in the final Chinese title I Am Marbury represents sportsmanship, persistence and team spirit. When a man’s career hits rock bottom, how does he recover and climb up to the top again This is what we want to tell the audience.

Sports films are not mainstream in China, so why did you choose such a topic

It is a shame that sports films are not a main- stream theme in China. In foreign countries, in Hollywood, it is a mature theme. Such fi lms are screened every year and have a constant audi- ence. People can easily relate to sportsmanship. Different from other fi lms, sports fi lms are usu- ally based on real people and real stories. Sports personalities have unique experiences and strengths which make them shine. So I think sports fi lms should be promoted.

As filmmakers, our priority is not to cater to the market. We think that it is our obligation to make such fi lms, and we should do the best we can. Through My Other Home, we hope the audience will know more about such a theme and be moved by it. Hopefully, in this way more sports fi lms will be made.

How do you like Marbury playing the lead in a Chinese film

This is his first film. He didn’t have much actingexperience, so there was a risk in putting himin the lead. But who else could have playedMarbury Even if we had used another foreign ac-tor, he wouldn’t have had the experience of livingin China, or loving China, he could only act it out.

But Marbury expressed his real feelings andhis attachment to Beijing instinctively. Besides,his basketball skills are irreplaceable, so hewas the best choice. Although acting is not hisforte, we could help him with that, whereas wecouldn’t help other actors portray Marbury’slove for China. The audience will not buy fakeemotions.

When Marbury was communicating withother actors, we just let the camera quietlyshoot what they were doing. That was thereal Marbury, the one we want to show to theaudience.

There is no love interest in the film. Do youthink that will make it less appealing forsome viewers

Marbury is happily married and a very responsi-ble husband. His greatest support while workingin a foreign land comes from his family—hismother, wife and kids. They are his fountain ofstrength. He never dated anyone in Beijing andwe can’t make up such a story. We don’t needany romance since Marbury’s story is about a different kind of love, such as friendship andlove for his career.

What is the most attractive thing about the film

As I said, love. Marbury owes his success toit. He loves Beijing and his fans and is willingto give them all he has. It means shoulderingmore responsibility. There are narratives abouthis relationship with his teammates, his fatherlycoach. The film is not just about Marbury or areplay of his triumphs but the story of how agroup of men pursued their dreams.

What do you think about the Chinese film industry

I think the good times are about to come, orhave already come. In the past, China’s moviemarket encountered a boom bubble with highbox-office success. Films with certain themeswere considered money-spinners and that ledto a lack of originality.

Luckily, this trend has faded as there aredemands for deeper, people-oriented filmsthat make you think. Producers have startedto return to films with valuable content. I amsurprised by the number of young directorswho are making good fi lms and I’m proud to beone of them. I hope such directors can bring tothe market fi lms with a personal style and bothcommercial and artistic value.

Should Chinese films go global

It is inevitable that Chinese fi lms will go global.Although the Chinese audience is our maintarget, we should not work behind closed doorsand make fi lms only for our own people. Goingglobal will show if our films can have a placein the international arena and attract foreigninvestment.

Movies that represent our strengths, ourbeliefs and our values should be brought to therest of the world for the global audience to ap-preciate the level we have already reached, theideas we want to present.