A Most Beautiful Thing

A Most Beautiful Thing, narrated by Common, executive produced by NBA Stars Grant Hill and Dwyane Wade, and directed by Olympic rower Mary Mazzio, chronicles the first African American high school rowing team in this country (made up of young men, many of whom were from different neighborhoods and rival gangs from the West Side of Chicago), all coming together to row in the same boat. The film dives into the backstories of these young men, examining the issues of trauma and violence. As the team’s captain, Arshay Cooper, reflected, “when we were on the water, we were in a place where we could not hear the sound of sirens or bullets, and that was a beautiful thing...” (South by Southwest Film Festival)