All I Ever Wanted

Feature 1:39

Synopsis:

All I Ever Wanted is a riveting 7-year journey through the high-stakes world of professional basketball, showcasing NBA icons like Kevin Durant, Kyle Lowry, and Manu Ginobili. This deeply personal documentary unveils the untold story of Greivis Vasquez, former star of the Toronto Raptors and Brooklyn Nets, as he confronts the challenges of a sudden, career-ending injury. The film reveals the emotional, physical, and financial challenges that emerge in the aftermath of an athlete's worst fear coming true.

Director -Carlos P Beltran

CARLOS P. BELTRAN (born 1986 in Caracas, Venezuela), is an Emmy-nominated, award-winning journalist and documentary filmmaker.

His documentary work on social justice, political turmoil and human displacement has appeared on all major networks, including NBC News, ABC News, Univision, National Geographic, and the Discovery Channel.

Previous short documentary titles include Voluntad & Paz (2012) and The Long Wait: Political Asylum in the U.S. (2018).

"All I Ever Wanted" is his first feature film

IMDB LINK: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm4699956/

Director Statement

This is not the film I wanted to make. Not at first.

When we began production in the fall of 2016, we set out to document a comeback story. As a young Latin American pro-athlete raised in some of the poorest parts of Venezuela, Greivis Vásquez would inspire millions by overcoming a debilitating ankle injury and finding his way back to the National Basketball Association. As a fellow Venezuelan, I wanted to tell this story. But, over the years—after every conceivable hurdle—we ended up with something more powerful.

By 2018, experts had deemed his condition “career-ending.” After six years in the NBA, it was clear he would never play professional basketball again. But Greivis Vásquez kept on pushing. And, behind the camera, so did we.

The story then became an intimate character study: What happens to Icarus after he gets burnt? It was a gamble. We continued filming—with minimal funding and an even smaller crew—stretching every resource at hand. And so, the seven-year-long production followed Greivis through three surgeries, one political uprising in South America, countless meetings with the best orthopedic doctors in the world, a pandemic, and a divorce. This film is the product of stubborn perseverance. We believed that, regardless of the outcome, we would learn something from Greivis’ blind ambition.

Ultimately, I am proud of what we’ve accomplished. I am proud of what this film stands for. We are certain that this story will both inspire and guide youth (Hispanic and otherwise) to fight for their dreams while holding on to what matters most: family.

We hope you enjoy the film.

Sincerely,
Carlos P. Beltran
Director