
The Last Gold Chosen as an Official Program Selection for the 2016 LA Film Festi
April 26, 2016 |

USA Swimming is proud to announce that the World Premiere of
The Last Gold will take place during the 2016 LALA Film Festival
Selection (small) Film Festival in Culver City, California, on
Monday, June 6. The feature-length documentary is one of only
twelve documentary films chosen for this year’s
festival.
Considered one of the greatest untold stories in Olympic
history, The Last Gold details the heroic efforts of the
women’s 1976 U.S. Olympic swim team as they competed against
the systematically-doped East Germans. After an entire competition
of disappointing results, winning no races and facing critical
media that heaped on additional pressure, the U.S. women rallied
together to do as a team what they could not do individually
– win gold.
The LA Film Festival, produced by Film Independent, a non-profit arts organization, runs from June 1-9. Now in its 22nd year, the Festival showcases the best of American and international cinema and is recognized as a world-class event with participation from the most critically acclaimed filmmakers, film industry professionals and emerging talent from around the world.
The LA Film Festival, produced by Film Independent, a non-profit arts organization, runs from June 1-9. Now in its 22nd year, the Festival showcases the best of American and international cinema and is recognized as a world-class event with participation from the most critically acclaimed filmmakers, film industry professionals and emerging talent from around the world.
“USA Swimming is extremely proud to have produced this
documentary on the 40-year anniversary of the 1976 Montreal Olympic
Games,” said Chuck Wielgus, Executive
Director of USA Swimming and Executive Producer of The Last Gold.
“Being accepted to the LA Film Festival gives us a great
outlet to start sharing this important piece of Olympic history
that not many know about.”
The film is directed by 15-time Emmy winner Brian T.
Brown and narrated by Emmy Award-winning actressLA Film
Festival poster (medium) Julianna Margulies, one
of TIME Magazine’s "100 Most Influential People in the World"
for 2015. Margulies also starred in NBC’s long running drama,
ER and is now the star of The Good Wife on CBS.
"This film was truly a labor of love and it was a privilege to
be a part of telling one of the most amazing untold stories in
Olympic history,” said Brown. “This film is about a
great struggle and a shining triumph that is as resonant as ever
and, at long last, deserves to be heard."
The 2016 LA Film Festival’s diverse slate includes 56
feature films, 58 short films and 13 short episodic works
representing 28 countries. The Festival’s five competitions
feature 42 World Premieres.
“We are honored to share a story that is so important to
the history of swimming and to the women who were affected,”
said Mike Unger, Assistant Executive Director of
USA Swimming and Co-Producer of The Last Gold. “The
perseverance by the U.S. women’s team to maintain their focus
throughout the competition and to make a comeback on that final
relay was amazing.”
The Last Gold tells the remarkable stories by the pioneering
members of ’76 U.S. Olympic swimming team, who set numerous
American and would-be world records and with resilience competed at
the most elite level in the face of adversity.
Shirley Babashoff, a member of the ‘76
relay team featured in the film, is considered one of the greatest
female swimmers of all time. Babashoff set six world records and
earned a total of eight individual Olympic medals throughout her
career. In 1982, Babashoff was inducted in the International
Swimming Hall of Fame as an ‘Honor Swimmer’ and in 2005
she received the Olympic Order, the highest award of the Olympic
Movement.
“Representing my country as an Olympic athlete is
something I’m very proud of and being a part of this film has
been a tremendous experience,” said Babashoff. “My hope
is that our story remains impactful and that what we experienced
will never be forgotten.”
LA Film Festival passes are currently on sale and individual
tickets go on sale to the general public on Tuesday, May 10. Visit
www.lafilmfestival.com for more information.
The deadline for press to submit applications for credentials
is May 5 and can be applied for at
www.filmindependent.org/press/
For more information about The Last Gold, visit:
www.TheLastGold.com and follow us on Twitter at: @TheLastGoldFilm
#TheLastGold