Playing In The Shadows

An after-dark basketball competition targeting young people living in public housing across Sydney is about to take the kids of Woolloomoolloo by storm. Run by the dedicated coach Bassi, an ex-pro basketballer with extensive experience working with difficult kids, this basketball squad is far more than just a sporting event. For the players in the team - 9-year-old Celine, 11-year-old Jaidyn, six-foot-three Jerry and 15-year-old Ainsley - it is a chance to show what they are made of and to prove that they don't fit the commonly held stereotype about kids from Woolloomoolloo. Each one faces challenges but they all have a desire to win. Celine's Mum died on her sixth birthday and her Dad has only one leg, but she's happy living with her many sisters and brothers in the close-knit Woolloomooloo neighbourhood. Eleven-year-old Jaidyn has been going off the rails recently, getting in trouble at school and with the police, but his Mum is sure he'll come through. Six-foot-three Jerry has a disability and is often teased, but he loves being involved with the community. And 15-year-old Ainsley is ambitious and athletic, inspired and motivated by his Dad to achieve entrance to university. Playing in the Shadows is an observational documentary which follows the local kids and their team, The Woolloomooloo All Stars, as they train towards a climactic final showdown against their geographic rivals, the youth from the neighbouring housing estate in Redfern. Cheer on the kids as they struggle to pursue their aspirations while avoiding the dangers and disadvantages of growing up in this little forgotten pocket of public housing.