About the Film
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Director | Josh Greenbaum (his feature debut) |
| Producers | Rafael Marmor, Christopher Leggett, and Josh Greenbaum |
| Executive producers | Included Justin Timberlake and Jessica Biel |
| Premiere | South by Southwest (SXSW) 2013, where it won the Audience Award |
| Netflix release | December 2013, as Netflix's first original documentary |
What It's About
The film follows young golfers from different countries and backgrounds as they train, deal with pressure from themselves and their families, and compete at the World Championship of Junior Golf. It balances humour with honest moments about ambition and childhood.
Documentary Craft Worth Noticing
Multiple characters
Eight stories woven around one event.
Built-in climax
A competition gives natural structure.
Family dynamics
Parents add tension and warmth.
Tone
Light but not mocking.
Lessons for Documentary Makers
- Choose subjects heading toward an event
- Follow several characters for contrast
- Treat young subjects with care and consent
- Let humour come from real moments
- Use the event as your climax
- Gain families' trust early
For documentary approaches, see the six documentary modes. For other notable shorts and features, see short films that became features.
Sports and Youth Documentaries for Brands
Event-driven documentaries suit sports brands and academies. A sports documentary studio in India can follow athletes to a competition. A youth sports content agency in India plans the story arc. An event-follow documentary crew captures the moment. In Karnataka, a Bengaluru sports-doc crew can help, and national brands may commission one of the most compelling sports film teams in India.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is The Short Game about?
Eight golfers aged seven and under competing at a junior world golf championship.
Who directed The Short Game?
Josh Greenbaum.
Did The Short Game win awards?
It won the Audience Award at SXSW in 2013.
Is The Short Game on Netflix?
It was released as Netflix's first original documentary in December 2013; availability varies by region.
Small Golfers, Big Stories
The Short Game shows how an event, a cast of characters, and real emotion make a documentary sing. For an event-driven brand documentary, pitch a sports documentary to us.
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