The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Wickliffe man’s dream comes true
Wickliffe man’s dream comes true with documentary
John Vourlis spent 20 years working in Hollywood chasing the dream of making it big in the film business.
The Wickliffe native did pretty well for himself. He began working at a company called LightingStrikes, a lighting company for films. His first job there was as a receptionist. When he left to return home seven years ago, Vourlis was the company’s general manager. During his time there, the company won two Academy Awards for technical achievements.
Vourlis returned to his hometown after his father passed away to care for his mother.
“I kissed the ground when I got back,” said Vourlis. “I had enough (of California).”
Even with Tinseltown behind him, the movie bug never left him. Vourlis teaches film at Cleveland State University, but deep down he wanted more.
It wasn’t until a friend from his days at Wickliffe High School encouraged Vourlis to accompany him to a night out to watch the Cleveland Challenge Cup of Bocce. The event is the centerpiece of the town’s annual festival in August at the Wickliffe Italian-American Club.
“I couldn’t believe it,” said Vourlis. “I grew up in Wickliffe, and I never knew about any of it.”
The Challenge Cup of Bocce is one of the sport’s most prestigious tournaments in America. This August will mark its 34th tournament.
Bocce is a ball sport in which the object of the game is to win points by throwing closest to the smaller ball.
It’s popular worldwide. In the United States, it’s rooted in Italian heritage.
That was on display during Vourlis’ first encounter with the sport. Then an idea popped into his head.
“I thought I was going to watch a bunch of old Italians, and it wasn’t like that at all,” said Vourlis. “I thought, ‘Wow, this is great. There’s something here.’ ”
That brainstorm turned into a four-year project directing and producing a 73-minute documentary about bocce.
Vourlis spent the last four summers — from 2013 to 2016 — filming Challenge Cups in Wickliffe for a film titled “Breaking Balls.”
Other events filmed include the World Series of Bocce in Rome, New York, and the Club Molisani Cleveland International Bocce Tournament in Mayfield.
He submitted “Breaking Balls” to be shown at the 41st Cleveland International Film Festival, running through April 9
at Tower City Cinemas. It was accepted, and will be shown at CIFF on April 3 and 4.
“I was holding my breath,” said Vourlis on waiting word from the Festival. “For me, this a dream come true. This is a Cleveland film. It’s as Cleveland as it can get.”
How the documentary was made was a bit of an adventure, said Vourlis. He owns a master’s of fine arts degree from the University of Southern California. Still, by his own admission, Vourlis had limitations entering the project.
“I raised no money. I knew how to compose a shot, but I didn’t know about sound, editing and things like that.”
So Vourlis got creative. He recruited his students at CSU.
Earning credits for cinematography on the film’s credits are Luke Horvat of Wickliffe, Dennis Shanaberg of Mentor, Rafeeq Roberts, Patrick Antone, Thomas Stumpf and J. Andrew Thames.
Vourlis and his crew shot more than 200 hours of footage — mostly at the Italian-American Club in Wickliffe.
What was critical to the
completion of the documentary was a compelling story with a few emotional twists. He found it by focusing on three individuals:
• Gino Latessa, the longtime director of the Challenge Cup of Bocce and president of the Wickliffe Italian-American Club, founded in 1933. He’s a Wickliffe native who’s semi-retired.
• Brian Polantz of Beachwood, who’s a ninth-grade math teacher in the Middleburg Heights school system, and one of the top 100 bocce players in the world. Polantz was part of fourman teams that won national championships in 2011 and 2012.
• And Dominic Olivo, the former groundskeeper of the Italian-American Club.
“I remember thinking, ‘It’s great he wants to do this, but where’s the story?’ ” said Latessa, 70. “But John’s a perfectionist. He found the story.”
That story being “Breaking Balls” isn’t just about the sport about bocce. It’s about family. Hence the tag line for the documentary:
“Family. Tradition. Culliones.”
That rings true for Polantz, 35, who isn’t Italian,
but of Slovenian descent. He remembers being introduced to bocce when he was 4.
“I watched my mom and dad play for the church league in Euclid they were members of,” said Polantz. “I’ve been hooked ever since.”
The same was true of Latessa.
“I learned the game from my grandfather,” he said. “It’s tradition. It’s family.”
Vourlis said the project had a huge impact on him as a Wickliffe native. Despite being Greek, the members recently voted to make him an honorary member of the ItalianAmerican Club.
“That was a true honor,” said Vourlis.
Now he hopes all involved with bocce, and he hopes others, are honored by his efforts to bring the sport to life in “Breaking Balls.”
“I think bocce’s a great sport, but it’s more than that,” said Vourlis. “The competition was only the surface. It’s more about Bocce as a vehicle for passing down Italian traditions from one generation to the next. I think that makes for an interesting mix.”