THE CANNONS follows the story of the largest junior African-American hockey team in North America, and four senior boys in their final make or break year of high school.
During the summer of 1976, Neal Henderson, an African-American,aviation engineer from Maryland, decided to start an ice hockey program in Fort Dupont, a suburb of Washington DC. An area madeup mostly of African-Americans, Neal began what has now become a 43 year tenure as volunteer coach of the Fort Dupont Hockey Canons. By wide demographics, ice hockey is generally understood as a sport only white people play. The Canons have defied the social norm, however, and become shelter for a generation of African-American youth looking for guidance and protection from the harsh social realities around them. THE CANNONS is a story about hope; the power of sport; and the pursuit of the American Dream.
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ROB FORD, PRODUCER
ROB FORD is the founder and CEO of The Creative Mind Group (CMG), in addition to being a talented television and film producer with his company Live the Dream Entertainment. He has produced shows on top television networks including the OWN Network, Discovery Channel, Bravo, MTV and many more. As an accomplished producer and member of the Producers Guild of America, he remains on the pulse of the industry and connects Emerging filmmakers with contacts and rewarding Opportunities. Robert is currently producing the 3-part Showtime Documentary series SHUT UP AND DRIBBLE with executive producer LeBron James.
KEVIN WEEKES, PRODUCER
KEVIN WEEKES is a former NHL goaltender of 11 seasons, and current hockey analyst on the NHL Network. As one of the first goaltenders of Caribbean descent, Kevin has been an active philanthropist, helping under-privileged communities, including Sky’s the Limit, and other charities helping minority hockey programs.
STEVEN MATTHEW HOFFNER, Co-director/Producer
STEVEN MATTHEW HOFFNER been producing sports documentaries for over 12 years with the NHL including the critically acclaimed half hour NHL Network docu-drama BEHIND THE STRIPES, and the 10-part doc-drama series NHL LIFE, winning 7 w3 silver awards.
AJ MESSIER, CO-DIRECTOR/PRODUCER
AJ MESSIER graduated from the University of Western Ontario with honors in Film Studies. In his 14 years in Toronto, AJ has shot for clients such as the National Hockey League, Nike, and the Royal Ontario Museum. Some of his most enriching work to date has been with Save the Children Canada focusing on their projects in South America, and at the Standing Rock march in South Dakota in 2017.