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Plot Summary
At SEEDS Academy in Dakar, Senegal, the best and tallest young basketball players from across West Africa are hand-picked to take part in a strenuous program of academics and athletic training. For these seven-foot-tall sixteen-year-olds, the rewards can be huge. Full scholarships to the top US prep schools will pave the way to college and open the door to basketball at the NCAA level, where the right combination of skill and dedication will not only earn them a great education, but even a shot at the NBA. Filmed over four years, ELEVATE follows the high-stakes journey of four young men across two continents, documenting the daunting challenges that come with being a stranger in a very foreign place. From mastering English, dating and drivers' ed to navigating the vagaries that come with being a seven-foot-tall Muslim at a Christian high school, ELEVATE challenges the conventional conceptions of Africa, America and athletes while documenting the extraordinary personal journeys of four teens with big hearts, open minds and very tall dreams.
Rotten Tomatoes Movie Reviews
TOMATOMETER
73%- Reviews Counted: 11
- Fresh: 8
- Rotten: 3
- Average Rating: 6.2/10
Top Critics' Reviews
Fresh: We see these young men struggle with assimilation - mastering English and learning to drive, meeting girls, facing a headmaster hell-bent on sending one to Princeton - and feel their joy on trips home. And we exult when they graduate.
Fresh: It's all presented with equal parts humor and sensitivity...
Fresh: An upbeat but never sugarcoated look at how cultural diversity can provide as many roadblocks as it does opportunities.
Rotten: The director is uninterested in truly plumbing the more painful, confusing emotions and thorny educational and social issues that confront her subjects.
Customer Reviews
Great Movie
This movie was great!!! Shows the harsh reality of life for many people and shows how hard work can get you places! These kids came from nothing to something, made the most of it!!
Fantastic
Great, thought-provoking documentary. For those who aren't aware, Ann Buford is the sister of RC Buford, the General Manager of the San Antonio Spurs.
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