American Documentary

Overview

New York, N.Y. — August 25, 2022— POV, America’s longest running non-fiction series, explores the shadowy nexus of pro sports and the migrant trail in the acclaimed Cuban baseball feature The Last Out, directed by Oscar-nominated filmmaker Sami Khan (St. Louis Superman) and Michael Gassert. Produced by Gassert, Khan, and Jonathan Miller, and a co-presentation with Latino Public Broadcasting, the documentary will make its national broadcast premiere on Monday, October 3, 2022 (check local listings), and available to stream free until November 2, 2022 at pbs.org, and the PBS Video app. Both the English and Spanish language versions of The Last Out will debut as part of POV’s 35th anniversary season, coinciding with Hispanic Heritage Month and the start of the MLB postseason. In addition to standard closed captioning for the film, POV, in partnership with audio description service DiCapta, providing real time audio interpretations for audiences with sensory disabilities.

Set amidst the migrant trail and the dark side of professional sports, The Last Out tells the inspiring story of Happy Oliveros, Carlos O. González, and Victor Baró, three Cuban baseball players who risk exile to train in Central America as they chase their dreams of playing in the Major Leagues. Filmed over more than four years, the vérité documentary focuses on people caught between countries who want nothing more than to make a better life for their families, and chronicles their harrowing journey, from immigration obstacles to the broken promises of dubious agents. Against all odds, these young athletes try to hold onto their hope while confronting the dark realities of what it takes to succeed.

Scouting for Cuban players is quite different than in the U.S. or Dominican Republic because of the U.S. blockade of the island. Although each franchise maintains the stats of every player in the Cuban pro league, scouts are not able to engage directly with players unless they defect from Cuba. In the Dominican Republic, players are often recruited as young as 12-13 years old and signed at age 16. By contrast, Cubans are usually recruited in their late teens or early 20s and have to be signed in other countries such as Costa Rica.

The Last Out is an eye-opening film that offers a poignant behind the scenes view of one America’s favorite sports. The documentary becomes an unusual migration tale that sheds a light on the commodification of Cuban baseball players for American entertainment.

Erika Dilday, executive director/executive producer of American Documentary | POV remarked “The Last Out amplifies how ‘the American dream’ is built on the hopes of Black and Brown people and the cheap labor of so-called economically developing nations. Gassert, Khan, and Miller expertly show the dangers that chasing this dream can have on vulnerable young people. It’s an incredible film we’re so proud to have as a part of this season.”

“Through the lens of a sports movie, The Last Out explores how the exploitative market for Cuban baseball players reflects the painful legacy of colonialism and slavery in Latin America,” said Gassert, Khan, and Miller. “These are difficult issues that Major League Baseball shies away from so as filmmakers we’re immensely grateful for the incredible support from POV and PBS. We’re honored to work with Erika, Chris, the team at American Documentary, Latino Public Broadcasting, and PBS to bring The Last Out to audiences in Spanish and English with accessibility for all.”

Winner of a Special Jury Mention at the 2020 Tribeca Film Festival, The Last Out also won the Audience Award at the Hot Springs Documentary Festival, the Grand Jury Prize at the Florida Film Festival, and the Best Documentary Award at the Buffalo Film Festival, among others.

The Last Out is a Brew Media, Oscura Film and Trogon Productions, co-production, and a co-presentation of POV and Latino Public Broadcasting. Directed by Sami Khan and Michael Gassert, and produced by Gassert, Kahan and Jonathan Miller. Gassert and Miller are the cinematographers, Mark Becker and Carla Gutierrez are the editors, and the music is by Billy Libby, Saul Simon and MacWilliams. Erika Dilday, Justine Nagan, and Chris White are the executive producers for American Documentary | POV.

The Last Out will be available for streaming concurrently with broadcast on all station-branded PBS platforms, including PBS.org and the PBS Video App, available on iOS, Android, Roku streaming devices, Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Samsung Smart TV, Chromecast and VIZIO. PBS station members can view many series, documentaries and specials via PBS Passport. For more information about PBS Passport, visit the PBS Passport FAQ website.

“A powerful true story of athletics and exile”

—Jordan Mintzer, The Hollywood Reporter

Credits

Directors/Producers: Michael Gassert, Sami Khan

Producer: Jonathan Miller

Cinematographers: Michael Gassert, Jonathan Miller

Editors: Mark Becker, Carla Gutierrez

Music: Billy Libby, Saul Simon, MacWilliams

Executive Producers for POV: Erika Dilday, Justine Nagan, Chris White

Photos

Download The Last Out photos here.

About the Filmmakers

Sami Khan, Director/Producer, The Last Out

Sami Khan is an Oscar-nominated filmmaker whose work has been supported by the Sundance and Tribeca Film Institutes, Impact Partners, Rooftop Films, IFP, the Berlinale, and NBC/Universal’s Directors Fellowship. His films have screened at leading festivals, including Tribeca, Toronto, Hot Docs, and Mumbai. Sami’s most recent film is the short documentary St. Louis Superman (with Smriti Mundhra). The film was acquired by MTV Documentary Films, nominated for a 2020 Academy Award, and won prizes at Tribeca, Hot Docs, Big Sky, Traverse City, AFI Docs, and Indy Shorts.

Michael Gassert, Director/Producer, The Last Out

Michael Gassert is an immersive producer, sound artist, and director who commits deeply to telling authentic, human stories. His documentary and archival work is supported by IFP, The Sundance Institute, IDA, Rooftop Films, UNESCO, and The Kennedy Center. Michael has produced impactful recordings with Ornette Coleman, Jason Moran, The Master Musicians of Jajouka, Patti Smith, Flea, Perry Farrell, and Mango Ghost. Notable sound mixing credits include Beasts of the Southern Wild, Another Earth, Circumstance, Casualties of the Gridiron, and Dangerous Acts Starring the Unstable Elements of Belarus. Michael currently lives in The Dominican Republic where he’s pursuing his second documentary feature.

Jonathan Miller, Producer/Cinematographer, The Last Out

Jonathan Miller is a New York based cinematographer attracted to stories that change the culture. His films have screened at Cannes, Sundance, Toronto, and New Directors/New Films. Some of his achievements include Gimme The Loot which won the Grand Jury prize at SXSW, an Independent Spirit Award, was a Cannes Un Certain Regard selection and released theatrically by IFC Films; American Terrorist is a dark comedy about prejudice in the wake of 9/11, released by Lionsgate. Miller recently lensed Black Box (Bert Marcus Film), a mystery feature doc about an Eastern Airlines crash in La Paz, Bolivia in 1985. His TV work includes Desus & Mero for Showtime and The New Yorker Presents for Amazon. As a producer, his work is supported by the Sundance Institute, Rooftop Films, and IFP.

About

About POV

Produced by American Documentary, POV is the longest-running independent documentary showcase on American television. Since 1988, POV has presented films on PBS that capture the full spectrum of the human experience, with a long commitment to centering women and people of color in front of, and behind, the camera. The series is known for introducing generations of viewers to groundbreaking works like Tongues Untied, American Promise and Minding The Gap and innovative filmmakers including Jonathan Demme, Laura Poitras and Nanfu Wang. In 2018, POV Shorts launched as one of the first PBS series dedicated to bold and timely short-form documentaries. All POV programs are available for streaming concurrent with broadcast on all station-branded PBS platforms, including PBS.org and the PBS Video app, available on iOS, Android, Roku streaming devices, Apple TV, Android TV, Amazon Fire TV, Samsung Smart TV, Chromecast and VIZIO. For more information about PBS Passport, visit the PBS Passport FAQ website.

POV goes “beyond the broadcast” to bring powerful nonfiction storytelling to viewers wherever they are. Free educational resources accompany every film and a community network of thousands of partners nationwide work with POV to spark dialogue around today’s most pressing issues. POV continues to explore the future of documentary through innovative productions with partners such as The New York Times and The National Film Board of Canada and on platforms including Snapchat and Instagram.

POV films and projects have won 45 Emmy Awards, 27 George Foster Peabody Awards, 15 Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Awards, three Academy Awards and the first-ever George Polk Documentary Film Award. Learn more at pbs.org/pov and follow @povdocs on social media.

About American Documentary, Inc.

American Documentary, Inc. (AmDoc) is a multimedia company dedicated to creating, identifying and presenting contemporary stories that express opinions and perspectives rarely featured in mainstream media outlets. AmDoc is a catalyst for public culture, developing collaborative strategic engagement activities around socially relevant content on television, online and in community settings. These activities are designed to trigger action, from dialogue and feedback to educational opportunities and community participation.

Major funding for POV is provided by PBS, the Open Society Foundations, The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, the Wyncote Foundation, Reva & David Logan Foundation, Park Foundation, and Perspective Fund. Additional funding comes from the National Endowment for the Arts, New York State Council on the Arts, public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs in partnership with the City Council, Sage Foundation, Nancy Blachman and David desJardins, Chris and Nancy Plaut, Abby Pucker, Ann Tenenbaum and Thomas H. Lee and public television viewers. POV is presented by a consortium of public television stations, including KQED San Francisco, WGBH Boston and THIRTEEN in association with WNET.ORG.