Perhaps you’ve heard the tale of the legendary Babe Ruth, hitting a home run for a bedridden boy during the 1926 World Series. If you haven’t, then you may want to check out I’ll Knock a Homer for You: The Timeless Story of Johnny Sylvester and Babe Ruth. The film, directed by New York Film Academy graduate Andrew Lilley, recently won the Home Grown Award for ‘Best Documentary Feature’ at the 2013 Garden State Film Festival.
Andrew took the 12-week Digital Filmmaking course in 2008. “NYFA gave me a great learning experience in making a film – it covered a lot of bases,” said Andrew. “From the technical aspects of lighting and working the camera – to the art of storytelling and editing – to film theory and philosophical questions. These are all lessons I continue to keep from my worthwhile experience at NYFA, and they were applied in I’ll Knock a Homer for You: The Timeless Story of Johnny Sylvester and Babe Ruth.”
The young boy, Johnny Sylvester, was Andrew’s father’s uncle, so, growing up he was very familiar with the tale. “The story between the Babe and Johnny is awe-inspiring. Babe Ruth promises a sick boy that he’d knock a homer for him, and then he winds up hitting three. It was the first time three homers were ever hit in a World Series game. It is on the level of the fantastic, the surreal. There is something about stories like this that trigger an emotional response within us. I hope this film will inspire the viewer to take a chance in life and do something interesting. I took the same chance when making it.”
Andrew continues to generate buzz for the film. His story was just featured on NewJersey.com. Andrew hopes to secure a distribution agreement, as he believes the film appeals to a wide audience – young and old, baseball and non-baseball fans alike.
For more information on Andrew’s projects, please visit: www.loosegravelfilms.com