Three young baseball players from Cuba want nothing more than to play Major League Baseball in the United States. Although they practice nonstop, the road to America is longer than the map suggests: Washington’s embargo on Cuba prevents Cuban players from playing in America’s professional league. Before an athlete can sign a contract, they must have citizenship—or at least residency status—of another country. Happy, Carlos, and Victor work out in Costa Rica under the watchful eye of an American scout, but when he leaves after working with them for months, the young Cubans have to look for a way to fulfill their sports dreams themselves. Thus begins a long and challenging journey through South America. Despite appearances, this is not a documentary about baseball—it’s a film about a dream about baseball. About the cynicism that the world of professional sports is based on. About forced migration, dashed hopes, and helplessness in the face of life’s challenges.
Michael Gassert is an experienced sound engineer who has worked on more than a hundred film and television productions, including Beasts of the Southern Wild and The Woman in Black. The Last Out is his directorial debut.
2020 Ostatni out / The Last Out (doc.)
Sami Khan is a Canadian screenwriter and director. He received an Oscar nomination this year for the short film St. Louis Superman, which he made together with Smriti Mundhra. The Last Out, his first feature-length documentary, was an award winner at the Tribeca Festival.
2007 The Bride (short)
2008 The Workout (short)
2009 Habibi (short)
2009 75 El Camino (short)
2015 Khoya
2019 St. Louis Superman (doc. short)
2020 Ostatni out / The Last Out (doc.)