By Valerie Milano
Hollywood, CA (The Hollywood Times) 8/12/25 – It’s Our Ball is a short documentary that focuses on a senior women’s basketball league in Southern California. Directed by David Morrison and produced by Judy Marcelline and Penny Edmiston, the film centers on women who continue to play competitively into their 60s, 70s, and 80s. It will screen August 13 at the TCL Chinese Theatre as part of the HollyShorts Film Festival.
The filmmakers, all involved both behind and in front of the camera—describe the project as a response to how aging, especially for women, is often treated as disappearance.
Marcelline, who also wrote the film and plays regularly, puts it plainly: “There’s more to us than what you see. We’ve earned this.”
Click below for our exclusive interview:
The film doesn’t lean on inspiration as a gimmick. Instead, it stays focused on the people: women who show up to play, who support each other, and who aren’t looking to explain themselves. The league includes players from their mid-40s into their 80s, including some who have been in the sport for decades and others returning after long absences. Marcelline continues to play weekly with teenagers at the Downtown YMCA, adapting her style but not her competitiveness.
Morrison, who has known Marcelline for over two decades, originally joined the project as a photographer. His stated goal was to “bear witness,” and the film keeps that tone—observational, but not distant. He captures not just the movement of the game but the trust and communication between players. Edmiston, who joined later as producer, says what surprised her most was the high level of skill and the clear sense of community on the court.
The film also touches on the history of LGBTQ+ athletes in women’s sports, especially in basketball. Marcelline discusses how lesbian players were often central to women’s leagues, particularly in decades when there were fewer safe spaces. One of the women featured, Louisa, shares her experience openly and that is something Marcelline says is both rare and important.
The film’s title, It’s Our Ball, came out of a long back-and-forth among the team. As Morrison explains, the phrase works both as a literal in-game call and as a broader statement about voice and ownership. “It’s our story, it’s our time,” he says.
The tone throughout the documentary is serious about its subject but never heavy-handed. The footage from games and practices is intercut with interviews that don’t try to oversell a message. Instead, the message comes through in repetition: these women keep showing up. They pass, they shoot, they argue over calls. They play because they want to. That’s enough.
The filmmakers emphasized that this is just part of a larger effort. A feature-length version exists and may be released later. In the meantime, the team continues to play with the Pasadena Senior Women’s Basketball League, which meets weekly in public parks and gyms. The film’s website (itsourballfilm.com) includes more information about upcoming screenings, merchandise, and how to get involved.
As a film, It’s Our Ball doesn’t aim for sentimentality. It tells a simple, grounded story and lets the players speak for themselves. And that’s exactly what they’ve been doing, with or without cameras, for years.
