Travon Free on ‘38 at the Garden’

Larry is joined by Academy and Emmy Award-winning writer and director Travon Free to discuss his new documentary 38 at the Garden on HBO. They begin the conversation by sharing why he wanted to make the film and how it exposes the limitations society places on a particular narrative or stereotype, in this case Jeremy Lin’s struggle to prove his worthiness as an NBA-level basketball player as a Taiwanese American. Next, they talk about the importance of telling stories like Lin’s to strengthen our society against bigotry, the importance of representation in all facets of life, and audience reception to the film (23:25). After the break, Travon talks about life after winning an Oscar, which in turn leads to an in-depth discussion about intellectual property, how major studios will recycle IP to generate revenue, and how aspiring writers can use IP to break into the industry (37:26). Finally, Travon details the advantages and complications of being part of a dual-director team with Martin Desmond Roe and his infatuation with Formula 1 racing (57:03).

Host: Larry Wilmore
Guest: Travon Free
Associate Producer: Chris Sutton

Subscribe: Spotify / Apple Podcasts / Stitcher / RSS