Richmond filmmaker Lucas Krost has won some pretty nice awards and done some serious traveling with his documentaries.
But this is the first time he’s being treated like a king for one of his short films.
“From the moment we walked in here,” Krost said by phone Thursday evening, “ they said “It’s our job to take care of you, to make you feel comfortable, that you’re the reason why we’re here.”
“Here” is New York City.
“They” are representatives with the National Football League.
And this is Super Bowl week. It’s being played Sunday, right across the river in East Rutherford, New Jersey.
And Krost and his father is among a small group of special guests of one of the most powerful and popular organizations in the land.
“The enormity of the NFL is overwhelming,” Krost told me. “Like, they’ve closed down eight blocks of Broadway and made it Super Bowl Boulevard.”
Perhaps you remember our story from December 10, when we told you Lucas was one of 10 finalist in the NFL’s “Together We Make Football” contest.
Thousands across the country entered their stories about football’s power to change lives, hoping their entries could win them a little fame and tickets to Sunday’s Super Bowl.
His short film, “Lee’s Story,” tells how he and his hardcore football-playing father – a man he grew up without - were brought together by the birth of Lucas’s son and the joy of playing together.
The story has made the Super Bowl. It’s one of five grand winners. (You can see the winners, finalists and many of the entries here: http://www.togetherwemakefootball.com)
The winning entries and many of the others, along with backstories and celebrities, are part of an hourlong special about football love that will air right before the Super Bowl on Fox.
That’s why Lucas and his father, along with the other winners, are being treated like kings in New York City, home of the NFL.
This win, this trip, is a continuation of a completion in the relationship between Lucas and his father that is the foundation of “Lee’s Story.”
Lucas isn’t a big sportsman like his father, who played quarterback in high school here and at Randolph-Macon College and even got a tryout with the Baltimore Colts during the Johnny Unitas era.
He isn’t a huge fan of watching sports.
For Lucas, the thrill is seeing his father “like a kid in a candy shop, with NFL pro players coming up to him . . . he’s been getting pictures with every professional player.”
And Lee has been spending a lot of time with some of the injured players, checking out their battle scars. So much so, Lucas said, the players have nicknamed him “Doc.”
“The time I’m getting to spend with my father is the real gift,” Lucas said.
And he was careful to thank his Richmond peeps for making sure he was properly outfitted with stylish clothes for the gala events that they’ll be attending as grand winners.
You see, the NFL picked the top-10 finishers out of the thousands of entries. The winners were selected by popular vote. And it’s Lucas’ understanding that “Lee’s Story” got the most votes of them all.
“When our town puts its mind to something,” Lucas said, “there’s no stopping it.”
