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‘I’m Just Here for the Riot’: ESPN’s 30 for 30 wraps production on documentary film of the 2011 Canucks riots

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Photo credit:RAFAL GERSZAK FOR THE GLOBE AND MAIL
Zach Laing
11 months ago
The Vancouver riots of 2011 are getting their own feature documentary.
ESPN announced Friday they wrapped production on a 30 for 30 documentary about the riots that took place on June 15th, 2011 after the Canucks lost in game seven to the Boston Bruins.
“‘I’m Just Here For The Riot’ chronicles the aftermath of the event captured on hundreds of cell phone cameras, with the rioters outed, shamed, and their lives altered forever,” ESPN said in a statement. “From the mob mentality in the streets to similar vengeance in the online hunting of those responsible, it was a dark moment in the city’s history – one that raised deeper questions about fandom, violence, and the shocking power of an angry crowd.”
The film was directed by Asia Youngman (“This Ink Runs Deep,” “N’xaxaitkw”) and Kathleen Jayme  (“The Grizzlie Truth,” “Finding Big Country”).
In a statement, ESPN vice president and executive producer of ESPN films and 30 for 30 Marsha Cooke said the film is about discovering why the riots happened.
“Taking a subject like Game 7 of the Stanley Cup Finals and the ensuing riot – and using that event to tell an even bigger story about society – is what makes 30 for 30 so special,” said Cooke. “The filmmakers had a clear POV: they wanted to explain not just what happened, but WHY. Why do we get so caught up in the emotions of winning and losing? Why do normal people sometimes run amok and do things they regret? And in a world dominated by cell phones and social media, why do we feel compelled to capture everything, no matter how destructive it might be?
“It is a story about regret and shame, but profoundly, it’s also about how you rebuild, forgive, and try to find something meaningful in the aftermath.”
No date has been set for the documentary’s release.

Zach Laing is the Nation Network’s news director and senior columnist. He can be followed on Twitter at @zjlaing, or reached by email at zach@thenationnetwork.com.

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