As New Yorkers flock to the Hamptons this summer, there’s another side of Bridgehampton that most vacationers don’t see. The new documentary, Killer Bees, hitting theaters later this month amid the tourist season, tells the story of the Bridgehampton High School basketball team, known as the Killer Bees, as they prepare to defend their state championship.
In a clip from the documentary, which The Hollywood Reporter is debuting exclusively, news reports and the film’s subjects explain the difference between the Hamptons of upper-class vacations and that of an African-American community dealing with racial discrimination, gentrification and income inequality.
“Just because I’m from the Hamptons, everybody thinks I’ve got this big mansion, two cars, a butler, maid and I don’t do any work,” coach Carl Johnson says in the clip. “But, no, I’m a year-round person. I work hard for my money, and sometimes I have to get a second job just trying to live a good life.”
The film, directed by Ben and Orson Cummings, is produced by Larry Gagosian, Hilary McHone, Eric Lane, Mara Burros-Sandler and NBA star Shaquille O’Neal. Glenn R. Fuhrman serves as an executive producer.
“It’s crazy. I’ve been going to the Hamptons for 20 or 30 years, and I thought the Hamptons was all about rich people,” O’Neal says in a statement. “But there’s another side of the Hamptons that you really don’t see. And this team, they’ve been winning championships for the longest time. And it’s a great story.”
The Cummings add, “Having grown up in Bridgehampton, we’re honored to release a film that reveals another side of our hometown, known to most as the Hamptons. Releasing this film with Shaquille O’Neal as a producer has given an amazing boost to our mission to garner recognition for this legendary basketball program that provides meaning and hope for a community under siege from the threats of racism, gentrification and income inequality.”
The film, which premiered at last year’s Hamptons International Film Festival, is set to open in New York and Los Angeles on July 27 and will be on VOD on Aug. 7. Watch the full clip from Killer Bees above.
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