Going the Distance with Mike Sielski

America loves an underdog. The film Rocky, which premiered 50 years ago, captures that spirit. It’s the quintessential tale of grit and determination in the face of long odds - a David and Goliath story with the backdrop of Liston vs. Clay. It’s also an ode to the city of Philadelphia, a window into the evolving Hollywood of the 1970s, and an allegory for Sylvester Stallone’s early career.

In his book Going the Distance, journalist Mike Sielski delivers an account of the movie’s creation, the many personalities that drove it, and intimate details from across the 28 days it took to film. Sielski joins the American Center in Moscow to discuss the process of writing Going the Distance, the impact of the Rocky franchise on American sports culture, and the story’s international reach.

About the speaker​​​​​​: Mike Sielski is the author of five books, including Going the Distance: Stallone, Philly, and the Story of ROCKY and The Rise: Kobe Bryant and the Pursuit of Immortality. He has been a sports columnist for The Philadelphia Inquirer and Inquirer.com since 2013 and was formerly a reporter at The Wall Street Journal. His work has been anthologized in The Best American Sports Writing and The Year’s Best Sports Writing, and over his career he has been honored by the Associated Press Sports Editors, the Jenkins Medal for Excellence in Sportswriting, and the Society of Professional Journalists. He lives in suburban Philadelphia with his wife and two sons.

Moderated by Jon Spurney, a longtime AMC volunteer and film expert with a background in composing film and TV scores. Over the course of his career, Spurney has worked for major distributors like HBO, Hulu, and A24, and has worked closely with acclaimed American entertainers such as Spike Lee, Jon Stewart, Stephen Colbert, Fred Armisen, and Bill Hader on a variety of large-scale projects.

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ALL AMERICAN CENTER IN MOSCOW EVENTS ARE FREE OF CHARGE / ВСЕ МЕРОПРИЯТИЯ АМЕРИКАНСКОГО ЦЕНТРА В МОСКВЕ БЕСПЛАТНЫ

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