The Future Is Fearless - Inspiration From A 7-year-old Basketball Star

This is an inspirational short film about 7-year-old basketball star Jaliyah Manuel. It provides a glimpse into her psyche and strength in the face of naysayers that tell her she can’t achieve what the boys can. We hope that this film will inspire other young girls to ignore the noise, break boundaries and keep fighting to achieve their goals.

More info from the directors:
From the moment directing duo The Hudson Dusters met 7-year-old basketball player Jaliyah Manuel while shooting a commercial project in her hometown of New Orleans, they were inspired by her story and felt compelled to share it.

“We were in New Orleans filming a job and met her at a YMCA where we happened to be shooting. We were immediately drawn to her as her basketball skills are far beyond her years,” said Michael Kuhn of The Hudson Dusters. “Her story has deep meaning to us as the first thing we ever filmed was basketball when we started our careers. We’re both huge fans of the sport and the stories that come along with it and it felt like no better time than the present to tell Jaliyah’s story.”

“Jaliyah’s skills were mind-blowing, but her energy and spirit are what really stole our hearts,” adds Niles Roth of The Hudson Dusters. “She told us that playing with the boys pushes her, but in the end she’s the one pushing them. We knew we had to share that message through film.”