The documentary chronicles the child’s struggle to fight the disease and how, once cured, he goes with his whole family to an NBA match to see Ricky Rubio play
The short film can be seen on Saturday, 19 October at 12:30 pm at the Zorrilla Theatre as part of the ‘FILMETS en forma’ session
The Ricky Rubio Foundation dedicates its efforts to researching a cure for lung cancer, as well as making basketball a tool for social inclusion
FILMETS Badalona Film Festival will be hosting the world premiere of the short film Stronger Together, produced by the basketball player Ricky Rubio and his foundation. The film 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.
The world premiere of Stronger Together can be seen at the FILMETS Badalona Film Festival on Saturday, 19 October at 12:30 pm at the Zorrilla Theatre, as part of the ‘FILMETS en forma’ session. The protagonists of the short film are Luca de la Vega, Ricky Rubio and Eduardo de la Vega. 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 lymphoblastic lymphoma, the form of cancer that the child has. What looked like a lost game becomes a victory for Luca.
When the director of the documentary, Àlex Torres, found out about the story, he wanted to follow it closely and, with the agreement of Ricky Rubio and Luca’s family, film it for the screen. From this work was born Stronger Together, a film with an extraordinary narrative force, hard, sensitive, sincere, real and emotional.
In the presentation of the film, Luca explains ‘I always used to think that there were only two kinds of match: the easy and the difficult. Now I know that there are matches that you are not prepared for. I’m Luca and this is the story of how me and my family played this match’.
As for Ricky Rubio, he explained that ‘the documentary about Luca’s progress 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. The three children will be selected from those currently receiving treatment at Vall d’Hebron Hospital’s children’s cancer unit.
The Ricky Rubio Foundation and the hospital are developing a work plan to establish a protocol of activities, selection and monitoring of children who will be able to benefit from the project and, once cured, go to see an NBA game in which Ricky Rubio is playing.
