GREENVILLE — A new documentary shot in the Upstate will tell the story of a Super Bowl-winning football team and its on-field triumphs — as well as the often untold stories of struggle, deep bonds and life after the NFL.
Adapted from the book, “Once A Giant,” by Gary Myers, the documentary is filming mostly at Hotel Hartness in Greenville County. It tells the story of the 1986 New York Giants, whose team included players from the 1981 national championship-winning Clemson football team.
Two brothers brought decades of film industry experience to direct and produce the documentary, which is financed by Winter State Entertainment. Sam Sokolow recently joined the World Cinema Program at Clemson University, and Alec Sokolow has written screenplays, most notably for “Toy Story.”
It’s all part of a push to bring film production to the Upstate.
South Carolina already has some history with film and TV production: “The Notebook,” “Army Wives,” and “Outer Banks” have all been filmed here. Production has largely gravitated toward the coast.
Sam Sokolow arrived at Clemson to build out a film production department. Students have gone on to work with Winter State, a Minnesota-based production company that recently opened an office in Greenville.
The goal is to get productions off the ground here, build out a crew base and attract larger productions. Sam said he believes that will lead major productions from studios with HBO Max, Netflix or Amazon to the Upstate.
The Sokolows grew up in New York cheering on the Giants with their dad. The brothers shared the same bedroom, and even though they were six years apart Alec remembers talking with Sam and liking the same things. That current runs throughout their Giants’ story.
“This is a movie about a sports team, but it’s not a sports movie,” Alec said. “It’s a movie about brotherhood. It’s a movie about the love and the commitment that these men have had to each other for now, 40-45 years.”
Former Giants safety Terry Kinard, a Sumter native, said he was thrilled when he was called to sit for the interview. The Sumter native won a National Championship with Clemson in 1981 and was later drafted to the Giants.
“It’s always fun when we get an opportunity to get back with the guys,” Kinard said.
To Kinard, winning a Super Bowl is “the pinnacle of everything.” He said the team learned from its mistakes when it fell short in the postseason the year prior to winning the Super Bowl. They returned with focus and stayed healthy that year.
“You have to be not only good, but you have to have a lot of luck inside,” Kinard said.
Kinard was part of a small group that filmed interviews at Hotel Hartness.
“This was an opportunity to bring some of those players together and really slow down and take our time and … let them tell their stories in a really deep way,” Sam said.
There are some other people who can’t travel to Greenville, so they’re being interviewed elsewhere. Then, they will take the interviews and archival footage of the team’s season and get to work in the edit room.
They hope to share the film publicly around the 40th anniversary of the team’s Super Bowl win — Jan. 25, 2027.