Briarcliff Entertainment Buys ‘Sweetwater,’ Drama About Pioneering African American NBA Player (EXCLUSIVE)

Briarcliff Entertainment has acquired domestic distribution rights to “Sweetwater,” a recently completed feature about Nat “Sweetwater” Clifton, the first African American to land an NBA contract. The drama is written and directed by Martín Guigui and stars newcomer Everett Osborne as Clifton. The ensemble includes veteran actors such as Kevin Pollak, Cary Elwes, Jeremy Piven, Richard Dreyfuss and Robert Ri’chard. There are also special appearances by Gary Clark Jr., Jim Caviezel and NBA champion Bobby Portis Jr.

The film follows Clifton (Osborne), who is the star attraction of the Harlem Globetrotters, led by owner/coach Abe Saperstein (Pollak). When New York Knicks executive Ned Irish (Elwes) and Knicks coach Joe Lapchick (Piven) decide it is time for the Knicks to integrate, with the support of NBA President Maurice Podoloff (Dreyfuss), they come together with the other team owners of the league to make history. Briarcliff will give the film a wide theatrical release on April 14, 2023.

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“I fell in love immediately with Martín’s beautiful script telling the emotional, inspiring and lesser-known story of Nat ‘Sweetwater’ Clifton,” said Briarcliff founder Tom Ortenberg. “I am thrilled to be a part of the team bringing ‘Sweetwater’ to audiences everywhere.”

“The telling of Sweetwater Clifton’s powerful and relevant story has been a passion of mine for over 25 years, and I am grateful beyond words to the NBA, our great producing team, our gifted cast, amazing crew, and honored to be working with Tom and his team at Briarcliff,” Guigui added.

The film’s backers believe they have a social responsibility to make the picture.

Producer Dahlia Waingort Guigui of Sunset Pictures commented, “The right people at the right time came together to make this important story a reality.”

Said producer Darren Moorman, “Reserve Entertainment has a passion for making movies that encourage hope. In teaming up with the likeminded folks at Briarcliff and our amazing writer/director Martin Guigui on ‘Sweetwater,’ we were able to make a powerful film about this pivotal time in the NBA’s history that we hope will engage moviegoers and sports fans alike.”

The film received an important endorsement from the basketball player’s family

Jataun Robinson, Sweetwater Clifton’s daughter, commented, “The only regret my dad ever had was that no one knew his story…I’m so excited the movie finally got made that I can’t stop smiling.”

Osborne said, “It is an incredible honor to be a part of a film that shines the light on the untold journey of one of the greatest trailblazers in history. Higher truth exists beyond the surface, ’Sweetwater’ confronted us all and inspired us to reach a deeper level of humanity.”

The film is produced by Tim Moore, Dahlia Waingort Guigui, Darren Moorman, and Josi Konski. Executive producers are Scott Pomeroy, Mike Durden, Scott Helms, Craig Cheek, Tom Ortenberg, and Pasaca Entertainment.

Since its inception in 2018, Briarcliff has released the Liam Neeson thriller “The Marksman,” Michael Moore’s “Fahrenheit 11/9, ” and the Foo Fighters’ “Studio 666.”

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