Shaina Allen, director of the documentary THE REBOUND, about the Miami Heat Wheels, talks about the process of getting the inspirational film to screens.
Is there any interesting story about how you got involved in The Rebound?
Shain Allen: The Rebound actually started in a dog park in Miami Beach, where my partner Michael and I became friends with a frustrated Coach Cartwright of the Miami Heat Wheels. He was frustrated about funding, which led to Michael volunteering me to film a team for some promo footage that the team could use for grant applications and meetings with potential donors.
Only a few months after I graduated college, I showed up at a community gymnasium with my first DSLR camera, that I was still learning how to use. As I set up my tripod on the baseline, one of the players zoomed by me and yelled “Watch out. We’ll run you over”. The game was fast, the players were passionate – arguing over fouls and celebrating each shot made; then it hit me: this is just like stand-up basketball. After that initial experience, I was interested and extremely curious. As soon as I got to know the athletes on the team, I became fully invested in telling their story.
READ MORE: Our Full Review of Shaina Allen‘s Documentary The Rebound
Is it a personal movie – as in, were you personally connected to the storyline if not those featured in the film before being hired?
SA: The Rebound has been our passion project for the past 6 years. No one hired us to create it, it was born out of our own sweat-equity, amazing collaborators and community, and primarily self-funded with our earnings from our independent production company. We launched an Indiegogo fundraiser in 2014 and our Executive Producers Nick Nanton and JW Dicks came on board with a group of private producers to help with post-production expenses. It’s our first documentary so we didn’t really know what to expect. It was a learning process the entire journey.
![]()
What interested you in telling this particular story?
What interested you in telling this particular story?SA: I wanted to give audiences all over the world a look into the lives of these athletes and show that at the core of all of the challenges we face, we are all human. When we can bridge worlds a story like this, we are able to have more powerful conversations about inclusion and disability. Growing up, we are told not to stare, point or talk about people with differences. As we enter adolescence and become more aware of the world, we involuntarily continue to segregate ourselves because we don’t know any better. Yet, we look out of curiosity. Try to help people in wheelchairs, because that’s the proper thing to do, right? We subconsciously identify a person by the fact that they’re in a wheelchair, rather than the person in the wheelchair. By becoming close to the guys on the team and becoming a fan of this fast-paced competitive sport, I forgot about the differences, my perceived notions of what it means to have a disability – the feelings that would typically keep me isolated or make me feel uncomfortable.
What kind of research did you do before the shoot?
SA: We had no preliminary research prior to shooting, we just dove right in to filming and becoming a part of the Miami Heat Wheels family. While we were in the final stages of editing the film, we decided to go and support the team at the National Wheelchair Basketball Tournament in Louisville, KY. We had no intention of filming it or using the footage in the film, just simply be there for the guys who had become our friends and family. We couldn’t foresee what ended up happening and we were grateful that we had a hard time putting the cameras down. The story changed, so we went back to the editing room and made some epic changes. Real life happens, the story changes – that’s the beauty of documentary. When filming wrapped, it had been about 3 years.
How would you classify the film? What genre would you say it belongs in?
SA: The Rebound is a sports documentary with a human angle.
Could you see yourself directing a narrative feature about the Miami Heat Wheels one day?
SA: Possibly! I believe the story would make an incredible feature. The themes are universal and there is so much more behind the stories that we do not even touch in the documentary. It would be amazing to play a role in casting actors with disability to continue our mission of providing opportunities for all, in sports and in life.
What’s next for you?
SA: Currently, I am working on a project about the incredible women of adapted sports. I also just finished my role as the director of photography on a new documentary, “Superminority” with Kudzu Films about first-time female candidates running for office in North Carolina. You can keep up with us and support upcoming projects at Evergrain.co