Watch Elevate Movie Online Megavideo

Watch Elevate Movie Online Megavideo

From a basketball academy in West Africa to the high-pressure world of American prep schools, "Elevate" documents the extraordinary personal journeys of four particularly tall West African teenagers with big hearts, open minds, and NBA dreams. The SEEDS Academy in Dakar, Senegal, sits on a small plot of land leased from the government. There, the best young basketball players from across West Africa gather to take part in a strenuous program of academics and athletic training. For those who stand out, the potential reward is huge: full scholarships to the top prep schools in the United States, where the right combination of skill and dedication will earn them a great education, pave the way to college, and open the door to basketball at the NCAA level... and maybe even a shot at the NBA.

For the four young men who make the cut, receive scholarships, and head off to the USA, their lives are changed forever. Filmed over four years and across two continents, "Elevate" documents the daunting challenges they face, from the alienation that comes with being a seven foot tall Muslim at a Christian prep school (in an American culture rife with African stereotypes) to mastering English, adapting to aggressive American-style basketball... and navigating the vagaries of high school, girls, and drivers ed. A heartwarming documentary that inspires without preaching, "Elevate" challenges the audience's conception of Africa, America, and athletes â€" while putting a smile on their face at the same time.

Thus far, Elevate (2011)'s reviews on average are breaking 94 days before opening. Norm for this measure is 0.1 hours before. The chart below shows reviews on opening day and the days before and after opening; the left side is earlier and the right side is later. The red bars extending above the horizontal mid-line represent more positive reviews, and the red bars extending below represent more negative reviews. The white space/red bar in the middle is Elevate (2011)'s opening day. Click on any bar for a list of the reviews for that day.
Moments into the documentary “Elevate,” Amadou Gallo Fall, the founder of the Seeds Foundation in Senegal, speaks firmly to a group of very tall young men.

Watch Elevate Movie 2011 Online Megavideo

“Sports is a tool,” he says, meeting each set of eyes in the room and letting the message linger in the air.

The message is unequivocal for the Senegalese, who all long to use their prowess on the hardwood as a vehicle to reach schools in the United States. And it’s equally clear in “Elevate,” which made its world premiere at the 2011 South By Southwest Film Festival in Austin. The four young men featured in the film - Assane, Dethie, Byago and Aziz - all come to America through the Seeds Foundation, but they have no desire to stay despite the flittering of ubiquitous NBA dreams. Each man’s heart stays home; the value of an American education can only be measured by how it helps improve lives in Senegal.

These hoopsters dream, but it’s not visions of wealth that propel them across the ocean. Filmmaker Anne Buford knows her hoops. The sister of San Antonio Spurs general manager R.C. Buford and a native Kansan, she had spent a lifetime surrounded by coaches. However, she deftly avoids the clichés of poor African youth seeking the fortunes of pro ball by focusing on family relations and the struggles of surviving in a foreign world.

“Everything was different here,” said Assana Sene Sunday at the Austin Convention Center. “Food, culture, everything.” Sene, a 7-foot center for Virginia University, adapted to American culture with patience of not enthusiam. A devout Muslim, he attended mandatory Christian services at a prep school in Connecticut without complaint, quietly unfurling his prayer rug back in his dorm room. He also tolerated a certain ignorance among Americans that contrasted with his own diverse background; like many Senegalese, Sene speaks a multitude of languages including his native French.

“It was a little frustrating because people here would judge you,” he said. “They’d ask if you’d ever seen a lion and stuff like that. Man, the first time I ever saw a lion was here at the zoo. “In Africa, we’re people, too. I wanted people here to know that.”

Such cultural dichotomy serves as the centerpiece to “Elevate.” Buford, who spent six years following the boys as they became men, does a masterful job of transition imagery. A shot of Assana’s family eating fish and rice communally out of a pot follows a shot of Assana consuming a cold hot dog by himself in a dorm room in Connecticut. A spirited pickup hoops game in Senegal that features more jokes than jumpers precedes a quiet practice by Aziz at his high school in Illinois. The skyscrapers of Portland, Ore., are replaced on the screen by dusty African streets