ESPN Films has picked up television rights to the Cuban baseball doc “The Lost Son of Havana,” just ahead of the movie’s premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival.
The film, exec produced by the Farrelly brothers, tells the story of Cuban baseball player Luis Tiant, the former Boston Red Sox and Cleveland Indians pitcher who at the age of 67 returns to his homeland to find that the country has changed dramatically.
Jonathan Hock directed and Kris Meyer produced, while baseball legends like Carl Yazstremski and Carlton Fiske make appearances in the pic. Chris Cooper narrates.
The movie is set to premiere Thursday evening at Tribeca and play several dates through next week. “Havana” is a part of the ESPN Sports Film Festival section of Tribeca, which the net sponsors, but the acquisition marks the first time ESPN has picked up a movie at the fest.
ESPN said it will air the film in August on its flagship network, while offering a simultaneous Spanish-language version on its ESPN Deportes net.
CAA repped the filmmakers in the sale.
