On the heels of the Toronto Raptors’ historic NBA Championship and the record-setting number of Canadian draft picks, the Toronto hoop dream is more alive than ever.
In this feature-length doc, director Ryan Sidhoo shines the spotlight on 12-year-old Elijah Fisher, 15-year-old Keone Davis and 18-year-old Cordell Veira as they navigate today’s youth basketball machine in pursuit of their own NBA dreams.
The film follows their coming-of-age stories as they unfold in an evolving city, sharing a unique Canadian experience that’s rooted in generational immigration. At its heart, True North is about ambition, the pursuit of full-ride scholarships, and the intersection of luck and opportunity.
On the heels of the Toronto Raptors’ historic NBA Championship and the record-setting number of Canadian draft picks, the Toronto hoop dream is more alive than ever.
In this feature-length doc, director Ryan Sidhoo shines the spotlight on 12-year-old Elijah Fisher, 15-year-old Keone Davis and 18-year-old Cordell Veira as they navigate today’s youth basketball machine in pursuit of their own NBA dreams.
A National Film Board of Canada production
In association with Red Bull Media House
Created and Directed by
Ryan Sidhoo
Producer
Shirley Vercruysse
Line Producer
Jennifer Roworth
Director of Photography
John Price
Editor
Graham Withers
Composer
Alex Punzalan
Sound Designer
John Diemer
Troy Slocum
Additional Camera
Chris Romeike
Jesse McCracken
Matthew Nauser
Andrew Bissonnette
Mike McLaughlin
James Pace-Cornsilk
Chris Wardle
Sound Recordists
Ryan Cox
Nick Davey
Neil Curschman
Benjamin Barton
Dane Kelly
Nathaniel Robinson
Kevin Brown
Mike Kool
Bernie Ozol
Max Hirtenstein
Justin Lacroix
Zach Thorpe
Coordinator, Pro Athlete Interviews
Mike Hamilton
Production Coordinator
Nathan Conchie
Veronika Paz
Production Assistants
Patrick Sue-Chan
Mackie Montgomery
Paul Kim
Marcus Armstrong
Chris Niesing
Stills Photographer
Yasin Osman
Researcher
Caroline Coutts
Assistant Editor
Mike Howey
Re-recording Mixer
Isabelle Lussier
Sound Editor
Luc Léger
Michelle Hwu
Chris Robison
Digital colourist
Serge Verreault
Graphics
Jacknife
VFX
Bun Lee
Cynthia Ouellet
Music
“Going Upstairs”
by Alabama Slim and Little Freddie King
reproduced with permission from Lucky Guitar Ltd.
“Tinted Glass”
by Network
reproduced with permission from Westar Music
“Runaway Train”
Performed by Ira Moore
Written by Alex Punzalan and Ira Moore
“Angel”
Performed by Dylan Sinclair
Composed by Alex Punzalan and Dylan Sinclair
“Praise”
By Dylan Sinclair
Written by Dylan Sinclair, Justin Chin and Alex Punzalan
“Curse”
By DATU
datumusic.com
“Dirty Spoon”
Composed by Alex Punzalan and Jed Harper
Archival
Ball is Life
CBC Archive Sales
CHCH
CTV Bell Media
Graham Withers
Jesse McCraken
Kareem Griffin of Canletes Sports
National Film Board of Canada
Marist College Athletics
North Pole Hoops
On Point Basketball Inc.
Rogers TV
Rovonn Russell
St Bonaventure University
The Canadian Press
Toronto Sun a division of Postmedia Network Inc
Thank You
Alvin Noel
Bill Epstein
Cary Smith
Cliff Sarmiento
Gary Charles
Kareem Griffin
Krysia Geeves
Lisa Newton
Mary Ford
Mary Lopreiato
Patrick Shaw
Ravi Sidhoo
Shelley Gordon
Sol Guy
Thomas Benski
Acme Works
CYBL
Excel Sports Management
Indiana Pacers
Isthmus Canada
Pulse Films
Team Canada
Toronto Raptors
The First Nations School of Toronto
Toronto District School Board
Toronto City Elite
Marketing Manager
Kay Rondonneau
Andrew Millard
Technical Coordinator
Wes Machnikowski
Studio Administrator
Carla Jones
Executive Producer
Shirley Vercruysse
Executive Director, English Program
Michelle Van Beusekom
NFB.ca
©2019 National Film Board of Canada