OUR STORY

The backbone of BLACK ICE is inspired by Jake, Chris, & Ben’s high school, where multiple students who died by suicide between 2004-2009... but have continued to lose students, friends, loved ones, and community members of our Massachusetts town to mental health. Although the storyline is fictional and the name of the town and characters have been changed, the message behind the film deeply connects to the events occurring in the small Massachusetts town.

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Writer's Statement:
“Black Ice is inspired by my own high school experience at Needham High School in Massachusetts between 2005-2009, were we lost multiple students to suicide. This fictional story is an amalgamation of experiences and events that took place while I was in high school, with a few creative liberties taken. We lost friends, we picked each other up when we were down, and we went to a hell of a lot of high school hockey games.”

‍Director's Statement:
‍"Black Ice is a tense, realistic and ultimately uplifting sports drama in the vein of Friday Night Lights. It's a comeback story for a teenager and his community after a tragic and shocking loss. It's a story that highlights the irony of today, where we are a button push away from talking to anyone, but many people feel more alone than ever. In a world where communication is taken for granted, we forget what it's like to really talk, to really share your feelings with someone, and in the sports world, where being tough and kicking ass is valued above all else, perhaps what takes the greatest courage is showing vulnerability. This message is why I want to tell this story."

“The most important thing is…it’s about the conversation. What they (Black Ice) are doing is opening up the opportunity for all of us to talk about something that can be so scary and is a topic many of us grew up thinking it was a very taboo topic…” -Samaritans, Inc.