DIFF & Dirk

I had the opportunity to see one of the better films of The Dallas International Film Festival, the charming and entertaining documentary on Dallas Mavericks and NBA star Dirk Nowitzki, called "Nowitzki: The Perfect Shot," directed by German filmmaker Sebastian Dehnhardt and produced by Emmy-award winning producer Leopold Holsch. The film, which has already been released overseas, focuses on Nowitzki's relationship with his personal coach and mentor Holger Geschwindner, whose unconventional methods helped turn Nowitzki's from lanky dribbler to a superstar athlete who has been awarded with the NBA Finals MVP, league MVP and numerous All-Star appearances. It's a "warts and all"-style documentary, focusing on the good and the bad, along with shedding some light on his personal and family life; it also has numerous interviews, with the likes of Mavericks personnel, players and other NBA colleagues, including Rick Carlisle, Don Nelson, Donnie Nelson, Michael Finley, Jason Kidd, Kobe Bryant and Mark Cuban, all who have good things to say about the normally private Nowitzki, who seems honest, humble and unaffected by his fame and fortune. It also shows his humorous side, with some help from his wife Jessica, who shows some pictures of Dirk dressed as tennis superstar Martina Navratilova (Dirk himself played tennis as a youngster, before giving it up for basketball full-time: good choice), one of my favorite moments. Overall, it's a fascinating, entertaining and balanced portrait of the German NBA superstar, who seems to be one of the good ones. A must-see for Dirk and Mavs fans, and one of the highlights (of course) shows the Mavs winning the championship in 2011 (and unfortunately, also losing it in 2006).