The documentary received the unanimous applause of the audience which praised its realism and the sincerity of an emotional Luca de la Vega
Àlex Torres and Luca de la Vega
The Zorrilla Theatre broke into unanimous applause when Luca de la Vega stood on the stage and addressed the audience that filled the auditorium, but could only say ‘this short film tells the story of my relationship with Ricky Rubio. My story is…’, before being unable to continue, covering his face and starting to cry. This happened a few minutes before the screening of Stronger Together, the short film that tells the story of his relationship with the basketball player Ricky Rubio.
It was the culmination of an emotional morning for Luca de la Vega, the boy who overcame lymphoblastic lymphoma after tough medical treatment that prevented him from playing basketball for a year. Luca, accompanied at all times by his family, and Àlex Torres, the director of the short film, attended the presentation of the film at the FILMETS Badalona Film Festival.
Stronger Together is a short film produced by the basketball player Ricky Rubio and his foundation. It is a 15-minute documentary directed by Àlex Torres which tells the story of Luca, a boy with cancer who plays basketball for a team in Mataró, and Ricky Rubio, a player for the Phoenix Suns in the NBA. The message that the film seeks to convey is that even challenges that seem impossible can be overcome if you work as a team.
Stronger Together had its worldwide premiere at the FILMETS Badalona Film Festival. It was shot in New York City, Salt Lake City and Barcelona.
A match against cancer that ends in victory
The relationship between Ricky Rubio and Luca begins when the boy’s coach explains to Ricky that he has a seriously ill player in his team who wants to meet him. The surprise comes when Ricky Rubio shows up at Luca’s house to visit him in person. This is the start of what the film defines as a team game involving the two of them and the doctors fighting the lymphoblastic lymphoma that the child has. What looked like a lost match becomes a victory for Luca.
The director of the documentary, Àlex Torres, addressed the audience saying that ‘the documentary shows a story that is not easy to tell, but fortunately has a positive ending. It is a real story in all of its aspects and told by people who really exist’. For Àlex Torres, the fact that the film premiered in Badalona ‘is an even greater satisfaction because it is the city that saw Ricky Rubio grow as a sportsman and where basketball plays a fundamental role’.
In the presentation of Stronger Together, Ricky Rubio explained that ‘The documentary about Luca’s healing process is a project that I and the foundation have dedicated more personal affection and effort to than any other.’
Ricky Rubio’s foundation
The Ricky Rubio Foundation is a charitable initiative of the player which aims to promote research into combating lung cancer and turning basketball into a tool for social inclusion.
After the success of the relationship between the foundation and Luca, the initiative will be extended to three more children who, when they are given the all clear, Ricky Rubio will invite to an NBA game this season.
