The Florence and Laurence Spungen Film Series Presents On the Map – An Inspiring Story For All Basketball Fans

On the Map recounts the inspiring tale of the Israeli national basketball team’s 1977 win of the European Cup, which took place at a time when the Middle East was still reeling from the the 1972 Olympic massacre at Munich, 1973 Yom Kippur War and 1976 hijacking of an Air France flight from Tel Aviv. Through the of lens of sports, On the Map presents a much broader story of how one team captured the heart of a nation amidst domestic turmoil and the global machinations of the Cold War.

The film recounts how an underdog Israeli basketball team prevailed over a series of European basketball powers, including CSKA Moscow (known in the West as “Red Army”), a team that repeatedly refused to compete against Israeli competitors. Moments after this highly charged and historic win, Israeli-American basketball hero Tal Brody became an indelible part of a young country’s history when he famously said, “Israel is On the Map, not just in sport, but in everything.”

Told through the eyes of six American basketball players who joined Maccabi and helped the club defeat top teams from Spain, Italy and the Soviet Union, the film features interviews with basketball icon Bill Walton (who had a unique personal connection to Brody) and former NBA Commissioner David Stern. On the Map combines the pulse-pounding action of a high-stakes thriller with an incendiary political backdrop to deliver a film that will mesmerize basketball fans and captures the spirit of a nation triumphant against all odds.

On the Map also features incisive interviews with, among others, Michael Oren, Israel’s former Ambassador to the United States, and Natan Sharansky, a notable Israeli politician who spent years imprisoned in Soviet jails.

Writer, Director and Producer,  Dani Menkin, will be joining us for the film viewing and discussion. He will be speaking of his experiences directing the film, followed by a Q&A.

Wine and cheese will be served.

This event is free due to a generous endowment from the Florence & Laurence Spungen Memorial Film Series.