Christopher Browne (director)

Christopher Browne, also known as Chris Browne, is an American documentary film maker/director.[1][2] He is noted for directing the sports documentaries that "shed light on the oddballs and underdogs of the sporting world."[3]

Christopher Browne
Other namesChris Browne
Alma materUniversity of Pennsylvania
Occupation(s)film director and producer
Notable workA League of Ordinary Gentlemen
After The Cup: Sons of Sakhnin United

Early life

Browne is a graduate of the University of Pennsylvania.[1] While there, he was a varsity squash player and a member of St. Anthony Hall.[1]

Career

Browne's film career began in New York City as a production assistant on television commercials.[4]

He then took a job on a documentary called The Paris Review…Early Chapters (2001) produced by Checkerboard Films. The movie, which chronicled George Plimpton's early years at the Paris Review, offered the opportunity to work alongside legendary documentarian Albert Maysles.[5] Working with Mr. Maysles spurred Brownes' interest in documentary film and he stayed at the Checkerboard Films another year where he supervised the post-production of The Paris Review: Early Years, and helped produce Ralph Gibson: Photographer/Book Artist (2002).

In 2002, Browne co-founded Dionysian Films with Bill Bryan and his brother Alex Browne and friend Bill Bryan.[4]

A League of Ordinary Gentlemen
Main article: A League of Ordinary Gentlemen

A League of Ordinary Gentlemen (2004) was his first feature film, emerging from following the Professional Bowlers Association tour with cameras for twenty weeks.[6][4] The documentary premiered at the 2004 South by Southwest Film Festival where it won the Audience Choice award.[7] It was also screened at AFI Fest, Cinevegas, and the Tribeca Film Festival.[8][9][10] Variety noted, "First-time helmer Chris Browne’s sense of humor captures perfectly the contradictions, absurdities and drama at the intersection of class, media, money and sports without dissing any of his player/subjects."[2] It was televised nationally on the PBS series Independent Lens on April 25, 2006.[11][4]

After the Cup

After The Cup: Sons of Sakhnin United (2010) was Browne's second feature film and was distributed by Variance Films.[12][13] Also a documentary, After the Cup chronicles the story of the Israeli soccer team from the town of Sakhnin, Israel.[12] The story follows the players, coaches, and fans as they journey together after winning the national cup.[1] This win is significant because aside from the lack of funding, Bnei Sakhnin F.C. is also notable for being composed mostly of Arab players with a Jewish owner and a Jewish coach.[1]

After The Cup has been welcomed with critical acclaim when it played at the Tribeca Film Festival, the Boston Jewish Film Festival, the Washington Jewish Film Festival, and Kicking and Screening Soccer Film Festival as well as others from around the country.[14][15][16][17] The film was released May 21, 2010. Vanity Fair said the film was "an energetic, edge-of-your-seat genuine crowd pleaser."[1]

References
  1. "Delta Alumni News" (PDF). St. Anthony Hall University of Virginia (Spring): 3. 2010.
  2. Scheib, Ronnie (2004-05-12). "A League of Ordinary Gentlemen". Variety. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
  3. Westerfield, Lauren (2010-05-21). "After the Cup: Sons of Sakhnin United". Spectrum Culture. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
  4. "A League of Ordinary Gentlemen | Professional Bowling in America | Independent Lens | PBS". Independent Lens. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
  5. "The Paris Review…Early Chapters - Checkerboard Film Foundation". www.checkerboardfilms.org. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
  6. official website for A League of Ordinary Gentlemen
  7. Faires, Robert (March 19, 2004). "SXSW Film Reviews". www.austinchronicle.com. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
  8. "A League of Ordinary Gentlemen | 2004 Tribeca Festival". Tribeca. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
  9. Mitchell, Wendy (2004-06-03). "CineVegas Unveils Lineup for Sixth Festival". IndieWire. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
  10. "A League of Ordinary Gentlemen". AFI Fest. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
  11. "PBS to Air 'A League of Ordinary Gentlemen' Next Week". PBA Tour. 2006-05-06. Archived from the original on May 6, 2006. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
  12. official website for After The Cup: Sons of Sakhnin United Archived May 10, 2010, at the Wayback Machine
  13. Catsoulis, Jeannette (2010-05-21). "That Post-Championship Season". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
  14. Jackson, Scoop (May 11, 2007). "In search of a great sports film". ESPN. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
  15. "After the Cup: Sons of Sakhnin United". Chlotrudis Society for Independent Film. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
  16. "Kicking And Screening Soccer Film Festival: 'After The Cup: Sons Of Sakhnin United'". Do512. September 8, 2013. Retrieved June 14, 2022.
  17. Kearney, Ryan (2010-12-01). "No Holocaust fatigue: Your Washington Jewish Film Festival guide". WJLA. Retrieved 2022-06-15.
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