“A story of healing”: “Scrum” premiere in Newhall brings entertainment and insight before and during Q&A

Scrum: (noun) in rugby, an ordered formation of players, used to restart play, in which the forwards of a team form up with arms interlocked and heads down, and push forward against a similar group from the opposing side.

Though not rough and chaotic as a sports formation, the Laemmle Theater in Newhall was similarly charged with energy as guests bustled about at the red carpet premiere of the documentary film “Scrum.” Guests dressed to impress flowed between the carpet and the rooftop bar, snapping photos and mingling in between bites hors d’oeuvres as a live band played in the background. 

The carpet was hosted by the Santa Clarita chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) and was centered around the world premiere of “Scrum,” which follows Frank McKinney, head rugby coach at Queens University of Charlotte in North Carolina, as he becomes the first Black coach to win an NCAA rugby championship in only the program’s third year. 

“This story is about rugby the way that ‘Rocky’ is about boxing: it’s not really about the sport, it’s about the life lessons that sport offers, like perseverance and diligence,” said the film’s director Thomas Morgan. “In the time of George Floyd, so many issues and so much upheaval, a story of healing is what this felt like to me. I think we all needed a story that shows how it is to be African American in the United States and to see our own blind spots and the way that we act.”

Morgan was previously quoted as saying, “If there isn’t a chance I will be killed or arrested making the film, it probably isn’t a film I am interested in making,” and joked that making the film during COVID-19 fulfilled that requirement, but said that seeing McKinney’s dedication and the perseverance that his players displayed – many of whom came from underprivileged backgrounds – drew him to capturing the story in a documentary.

During the premiere of “Scrum” held by @SCVNAACP, @matt_fern spoke with coach Frank McKinney and director Thomas Morgan (1/2) #scrum #naacp #football pic.twitter.com/TLjAmR53Tn

— The SCV Proclaimer (@scv_proclaimer) October 11, 2021

Coach McKinney, who has several family members in Santa Clarita, flew in from North Carolina to attend the premiere. He said that he was overwhelmed that Morgan, a longtime friend of his, thought his story was one worth filming and with the amount of support the documentary has received.

“I coach,” McKinney said, “I go to an office every day, I coach kids five days a week, I deal with all types of issues you deal with with college kids, so I didn’t think that was movie-worthy. The school is in a predominantly white neighborhood and the teams we play are predominantly white, and my team has brown, Black, Asian, all different colors playing together for one common goal. So for me, as I’m looking at it now, this is what’s great about the story.”

Notable elected officials and candidates were also in attendance, including Mayor Bill Miranda, city council member Jason Gibbs and CA-25 candidate Christy Smith.

Miranda walked the red carpet and described the event as something “incredible,” and hoped to see more premieres in the community in the future.

“This is incredible and it’s something most of us people of color never dreamed of, and here we are,” said Miranda. “There always has to be someone to break the mold but once that happens, the floodgates happen. That’s a good thing. We’re going to increase diversity and inclusion and have a 21st century community right here in Santa Clarita. More good things happen when we come together.”

GIbbs shared that he had only ever seen a red carpet on television and that “Hollywood North,” as Santa Clarita is sometimes called, has been long overdue to host a premiere and that the strong attendance indicated that everyone is welcome in Santa Clarita and that all organizations “have a seat at the table.”

The premiere was also a fundraiser held by NAACP Santa Clarita to raise money for scholarships for underprivileged and at-risk youth. According to Valeria Bradford, the chapter’s president, over 200 people were in attendance and sold out both screenings.

“Santa Clarita is becoming more and more diverse, so we want people to see that and that we are productive citizens that have a lot to offer and that we need to be included,” Bradford said. “It’s important that our community openly represents who lives here.”

“Scrum’s” executive producer Jeffrey Thompson also serves as an executive committee member of the NAACP Santa Clarita and a member of the city’s Human Relations Roundtable. He said he brought the premiere to Santa Clarita because he felt the need to “elevate the conversation about diversity and inclusion” to the city he has lived in for 20 years and believed that “Scrum’s” feel-good story was the perfect vehicle.

“[The success of the premiere] is a showcase that we can do this stuff in Santa Clarita and that there are populations living out here that we didn’t know about,” Thompson said. “We should be doing more out here because it increases the quality of life for all of us. We could have easily brought this premiere to Hollywood or Beverly Hills, but our production team wanted to show that Santa Clarita has arrived and that it’s like so many diverse suburbs across the United States.”

 

McKinney gives praise to Morgan for his work as a documentary filmmaker (2/2) #scrum #naacp #football pic.twitter.com/QvIOKSRf1k

— The SCV Proclaimer (@scv_proclaimer) October 11, 2021

To lead into the films, executive producer Lawrence Aldridge drummed up excitement when he shared that the news that his company had optioned the rights to transform McKinney’s story from a documentary into a scripted feature film and that the writing process has begun.

Following the screenings, guests were treated to a performance by Kori Withers (daughter of Grammy-award winning musician Bill Withers), who wrote an original song for the film. 

There was also a Q&A session with McKinney and Morgan during which the men shared some behind-the-scenes stories, updates on the lives of Morgan and his students (who have not yet seen “Scrum” as they are in the middle of their season) since filming wrapped up and their thoughts on topics like race in America, for example how the killing of George Floyd last year changed the direction of the movie.

 

In a follow up, @matt_fern asked about how opening up conversations about race can advance change rather than direct confrontation (2/2). #naacp #scrum @laemmlenewhall pic.twitter.com/IHamONiOX4

— The SCV Proclaimer (@scv_proclaimer) October 11, 2021

To close out the night, Morgan ended the Q&A by saying that, like his film, there are stories that are deemed “not big enough” by major studios but that there was power in documentary film.

“You get one chance, there’s no retakes,” Morgan said. “My kids will say, ‘Dad, are you going to make a real movie?’ You can’t get any more real than this one. You take Frank and these kids and you put them on the screen, and everyone feels like they know them. I hope they all see it as something they can be proud of and that they carried this torch.”

To watch “Scrum,” visit scrummovie.com. Enter the code NAACPSC and 40 percent of the proceeds will go to funding the NAACP Santa Clarita.

 

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