Bathurst Phantoms-inspired movie wins Emmy

A movie inspired by the New Brunswick Phantoms basketball team that overcame tragedy to win a provincial championship has won an Emmy.

The Phantoms, made by Halifax-based Dream Street Pictures, won best TV Movie/Mini-series Monday at the International Emmy Kids Awards.

Its a dramatized telling of how the Bathurst High School basketball team won the 2009 championship season and helped heal a grieving city.

The northern New Brunswick community washit by tragedy on Jan. 12, 2008, when a van carrying the Bathurst High School basketball team home from a game in Moncton collided with a transport truck.

Seven players and the coachs wife were killed in the accident.

The movie was based on the 2009 season, when their teammates won theprovincial AA championship. Some of the parents of those who died criticized the decision to make the film.

Inspired by real events

Rick LeGuerrier, a producer of the movie, said some of the movie characters are composites of several real people.

"What we set out to do is capture the heart of what happened in Bathurst, the love in that community, the sense of community that allowed these players to go forward do what they did and in so doing help the community heal from such an awful thing," he said at the time.

The movie aired on CBC.

"We all know what a great challenge and responsibility it is to produce for children," said Emmy president Bruce Paisner at the New York awards.

"Tonight's winning programs demonstrate the high standard of quality programming we expect for kids television, and we are proud to recognize them with the Emmy."