Los Angeles, CA –“FIRST: The Official Film of the London 2012 Olympic Games”, has been honored with a nomination in the Sport Documentary category at the 2014 Sports Emmys.
Screened on NBC last summer, FIRST chronicles the Olympic journeys of 12 first-time Olympians on their way to London 2012 Olympic Games and includes swimming superstar Missy Franklin, US gymnastics champion John Orozco and women’s boxing icon Queen Underwood.
“It is such an honor to be nominated for a Sports Emmy in the company of such great films about iconic American sports,” said Producer/Director Caroline Rowland. “The greatest honor was to have the opportunity to get to know the amazing young Olympians as they made their way to the greatest sporting event in the world.”
The documentary gives audiences a new perspective on the dreams and determination that motivates athletes to excel at the greatest sporting event in the world. The outcomes of all 12 athletes were shown in the film, win or lose.
“They really are all superstars”, Rowland said. “Of the 12 featured, six won medals and seven are now ranked No. 1 in the world in their sports.”
Rowland was granted special access to film behind-the-scenes footage and spent six weeks with the athletes leading up to their Olympic Games debut. “FIRST” captures the London Olympic Games as a recollection, evoking the awe and emotion experienced by the young athletes as they take their place on the world stage.
After starting her production company (New Moon) in 1996, Rowland came to prominence in 2005 when her films for London’s Bid to host the Olympic Games fought off competition from films by Luc Besson for Paris and Steven Spielberg for New York. Since then, she went on to make the films for the successful Sochi 2014 Olympic Winter Games Bid and the PyeongChang 2018 Olympic Winter Games Bid, and most recently, the Lima bid to host the 2019 Pan-American Games.
‘FIRST’ was her first feature-length documentary.
The Sports Emmy Awards recognize excellence in American Sports television programming, including sports-related series, live coverage of sporting events, and best sports announcers. The National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences is a professional service organization dedicated to the advancement of the arts and sciences of television and the promotion of creative leadership for artistic, educational and technical achievements within the television industry.
To purchase a copy of FIRST, click here.
Source: http://www.ballantinespr.com/News/First/first_emmy.html