Some of the greatest current Major League Baseball players are from Cuba. From Jose Abreu of the Chicago White Sox to the New York Yankees fireballer Aroldis Chapman and even to the rookie sensation Randy Arozarena of Tampa Bay Rays, baseball teams seek out the Cuban natural talent to improve their teams. Due to American political foreign policy against Cuba communist government, baseball talent must seek a different route to play in the United States. In the documentary The Last Out by Sami Khan and Michael Gassert, the documentarians looked to the path to baseball recruitment before the end of the “wet feet, dry feet policy” under the Obama Administration.

Here’s the official synopsis for The Last Out:

Three talented Cuban athletes leave their families and homes behind as they set off in pursuit of the ultimate dream: a contract with Major League Baseball. They travel to Costa Rica and train under a seedy sports agent who dangles promises while exploiting their talents. As they navigate immigration and the ulterior motives of handlers, each man finds an unexpected path forward to a better life.

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LRM Online’s Gig Patta spoke with the directors Sami Khan and Michael Gassert on this baseball documentary. We talked about the sport agent at the center of some of the Cuban recruitment and his baseball incubator tactics. Also, we talked about the three baseball players in the documentaries and following their lives for a certain time to get notice by baseball scouts.

Sami Khan directed numerous short films, including 75 El Camino, The Workout, and The Bride. In 2015, he directed Khoya, a film about an adopted man traveling back to rural India to seek his birth family. Last year, Khan’s short film documentary St. Louis Superman about a political figure and Ferguson activist was nominated for an Academy Award.

Michael Gassert is a filmmaker, sound artist, and musician with his archival work supported by IFP, Sundance Institute, UNESCO, and The Kennedy Center. He produced recordings with Ornette Coleman, Jason Moran, The Master of Jajouka, Patti Smith, Flea, Perry Farrell, and Mango Ghost. His notable sound mixing credits included Beast of the Southern Wild, Another Earth, Circumstance, Casualties of the Gridiron, and Dangerous Acts Starring the Unstable Elements of Belarus. He associated produced and mixed the Oscar nominated short film documentary St. Louis Superman.

The Last Out documentary made its premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival 2021.

Watch the exclusive interview with Sami Khan and Michael Gassert below. Let us know what you think.

Source: LRM Online Exclusive