EXCLUSIVE: Buffalo Bills fans will be the subject of the feature-length documentary Just One Before I Die from co-directors Addison Henderson (The Forgotten City, Givers of Death) and Kevin Polowy (Standing Up, Falling Down, In the Shadow of Beirut).
Production of the indie project, conceived by executive producer Clayton Polowy, is set to begin this fall. Stephen Gerard Kelly (Shadow of Beirut)will serve as director of photography.
Just One Before I Die follows Bills Mafia through the eyes of its most devout members, depicting the seemingly endless heartbreak (Wide Right, Music City Miracle, 17-year playoff drought, 13 Seconds, etc.), yet infinite hope, of a championship-starved city. A city that, like its team, has always been an underdog, be it its small market, heavily blue collar/working class population, or brutally unforgiving winter weather. The rabid fans are also known for their viral videos and for raising millions of dollars for countless charitable campaigns.
“Why do we keep doing this to ourselves? As a die-hard Bills fan — as if there’s any other kind — that’s what I find myself asking at the inevitably painful, if not outright torturous, conclusion to every single season,” Buffalo native Kevin Polowy said in a statement to Deadline.
“Are the highs worth the lows? Will they ever win a title, or will I go to the grave like my beloved yet beleaguered father, never having witnessed the glory of a Super Bowl victory? With this documentary, we want to explore what keeps fueling #BillsMafia to remain as loyal as we have through all the pain and misery — and in turn paint a broader and more universal picture of what fuels unwavering sports fans of any stripe,” he added.
“The Bills are the lifeblood of Buffalo. The word that defines my hometown is ‘resilient.‘ As a Buffalonian, it runs through our veins,” shared Henderson. “We’ve been through some great times and some horrible times. But, through despair, how do we endure? In this documentary we want to explore fandom and in particular what it means to be, not just be a Bills fan, but a sports fan in general. There will only be one happy franchise at the end of each year. But what if it’s never us? Or you, Lions or Browns or Vikings fans? Will all the tears have been worth it?”