Handle With Care: The Legend of the Notic Streetball Crew, a documentary capturing the journey of Canadian streetball collective The Notic, has been acquired by Gravitas Ventures. The company has secured worldwide rights for the film and announced a release date of March 26. The documentary, which received three Canadian Screen Awards nominations, premiered at the Vancouver International Film Festival, where it clinched the True North Audience Award and the Best BC Film Award.
Handle With Care delves into the story of The Notic, a Vancouver streetball crew that rose to prominence in the early 2000s. Known for their innovative basketball skills, the group faced challenges related to self-expression, race, and societal norms. Over a span of 20 years, their pursuit to complete a mixtape trilogy is documented in the film, showcasing how these friends made a lasting impact on the game despite playing outside the NBA's boundaries.
The documentary is directed by the original filmmakers behind the first two Notic mixtapes, with production credits going to Ryan Sidhoo, TELUS Originals, RTG Features, and Victory Creative Group. NBA All-Star Chris Paul, RZA of Wu-Tang Clan, and Canadian NBA stars Shai Gilgeous-Alexander and Luguentz Dort serve as executive producers, alongside CJ Paul and Juanita Thompson of Ohh Dip!!! Productions.
The film features key members of The Notic streetball crew, including Joey 'King Handles' Haywood, Rory 'Disaster' Grace, Jonathan 'Johnny Blaze' Mubanda, Jermaine 'Fresh' Foster, Andrew '6 Fingaz' Liew, David 'Dazzle' Mubanda, Dauphin 'Delight' Ngongo, Jamal 'Whereyouat?' Parker, and Mohammed 'Goosebumps' Wenn.
Directors of the documentary expressed their excitement about partnering with Gravitas Ventures, a renowned supporter of documentary films. They highlighted the anticipation among streetball enthusiasts and basketball fans worldwide for the return of The Notic and emphasized the crew's creativity, passion, and resilience.
Gravitas Ventures' Vice President of Acquisitions, Bill Guentzler, commended the filmmakers for crafting a compelling film that has been two decades in the making. He expressed pride in releasing Handle With Care to audiences globally, inviting a new generation of basketball fans to discover the untold story of The Notic.
The rights agreement was facilitated by Guentzler at Gravitas Ventures and Aron Phillips at RTG Features on behalf of the filmmakers. The latest trailer for the documentary can be viewed for more insights into this captivating tale of street basketball's legendary brotherhood.
