Bobcats On Three, directed by Alison Taupier, is a powerful documentary following the Paradise High School girls’ basketball team after the most devastating fire in California history destroys their entire town. It is a compelling mixture of hometown realism and heart - a story of courage, resilience and basketball.

The documentary is produced by Flat-Out Films and Diamond Docs, directed and written by Alison Taupier, and produced by Michael Shevloff and Jeff Taupier. Executive producers are Paul Crowder and Dashiell Hopper. Co-producers are Emily Kretzer and Ira Flowers. The film was edited by Sierra Neal, and the music was composed by Matter Music.

The film premiered at Big Sky Documentary Film Festival. Joanne Feinberg, director of programming said “It is the best portrait of Paradise after the fire that I have seen––so authentic and heartfelt. It has really stuck with me.”  It was the winner of the Award of Excellence at the Best Shorts Competition and recently won Best Documentary at the Pasadena International Film Festival.

In 2020, the film aired as an introduction to a WNBA game on ESPN and ABC.  It is slated for worldwide release On Demand through Rugged Entertainment.

HOW IT BEGAN

In late 2018, Alison Taupier was researching a project about women athletes when fires started to break out in California. She watched as the Camp Fire burned for 17 days straight, destroying 153,336 acres and 18,804 homes and buildings. 85 people had lost their lives and over 90% of Paradise was burned to the ground. She read a story in the  L.A. Times that captured her heart: young girls finding strength during adversity through basketball. A coach who had risked her life evacuating 91 elderly people early on the morning of November 8th was now intent on trying to maintain some normalcy and hope for this group of young women athletes. Four days after the fire began and while it was still burning, Coach Sheila Craft got together with her Paradise High School girls’ basketball team, some of whom didn’t even have sneakers, and started the journey back. Alison went to visit Sheila and the team in December and found a story and characters so inspiring and compelling that she remained to film their season. 

"Once I started to film this amazing group of teenagers, I knew I had to stay to find out how their season would turn out.” - Alison Taupier, Director

"Some of the girls didn't even have a pair of sneakers. But we had basketball and we had each other." - Sheila Craft, Bobcats Coach

Peter Spirer, Bobcats On Three Distributor Rugged Entertainment President, says “As a California resident, I remember being glued to the horrific images of the Camp fire and thinking about what could be done to help that community. When Alison and Michael brought their film to my attention, I realized this would be the way that I, and Rugged Entertainment, could help heal the community’s devastation which touched each and every person.”

BOBCATS ON THREE – ON DEMAND

Now the whole country can share in this story of overcoming adversity and devastation. A true testament to a caring coach, and the will of the girls who love the game.  On-Demand platforms include Amazon Prime Video, Google Play, Microsoft Store, InDemand (Comcast EST/Cox EST), Vudu.  Here’s the trailer:

LOGLINE

Bobcats On Three is a powerful documentary following the Paradise High School girls’ basketball team after the most devastating fire in California history destroys their entire town.

SYNOPSIS

Coach Sheila Craft had just begun her new, dream job as Varsity Coach of the Paradise High School girls’ basketball team. She had successfully recruited 44 strong players across 3 squads and their season was just about to begin until the morning of Nov. 8th 2018 changed everything. Sheila Craft was at her job at an elderly care home in Paradise, CA. that morning. At 8:00 a.m. she heard reports of a fire nearby. A remote town on the crest of a hill, Paradise had always been protected from fire at all costs. However, this fire was different. After driving to where she could see the fire, she quickly returned to the nursing home and began to help evacuate the 91 elderly residents, despite officials advising people to stay put. By 8:30 a.m. the skies were dark, the whole town was on fire, and Sheila was stuck in traffic with three elderly residents in her car. After suffering a flat tire and believing that she wasn’t going to make it she started calling her family to say goodbye. They all managed to somehow miraculously escape when a man (an “angel”) drove up and loaded all of them into his car. This was the start of the Camp Fire and it burned for 17 days straight.

Within days, coach Sheila was in a borrowed gym with the remnants of her team. Every player and coach had lost their home, barring one, and the team was already starting to shrink in numbers. Determined, Sheila felt a drive to maintain some hope and normalcy for all of the kids, through all the trauma and chaos and disruption. The team had dwindled to just 14 players as the season began, therefore fielding just one Varsity team with only two seniors playing. Through perseverance and personality, Coach Sheila created a team united in their ambition to survive. As young athletes, as a team, they came together to create a bond to support each other on and off the court.

A triumphant season through some of the most difficult moments is a legacy that will never be forgotten. It is the story of triumph of will over adversity, of positivity over loss, of strength over pity. It is an inspiring story of resilience, courage and basketball.