Chicago Cubs fans being offered credit in We Believe documentary

Chicago Cubs fans and admirers of the city of Chicago from around the world are being offered a once in a lifetime opportunity to include their name or the name of a loved one in the closing credits of the theatrical release or the DVD of the upcoming documentary We Believe – Chicago and its Cubs to be released in the spring of 2009. The effort represents the first time that a film production has undertaken active viewer participation to support charities.

Half of all proceeds collected will go to benefit Project 3000, a philanthropically supported grassroots effort to find all 3,000 people in the United States affected with the blinding eye disease Leber congenital amaurosis (LCA) and non-profit Little Cubs Field, a highly accurate replica of the Wrigley Field Chicago landmark scaled down to a kid-sized park.

Only a limited number of spaces are available in the theatrical credits and they will be displayed alphabetically in the closing minutes of the documentary. There will also be an opportunity to include names in the credits in the DVD for a lesser price, which will offer a Director’s cut, additional footage and stories, never-seen-before archival footage and lots of behind the scenes action.

Emmy and Grammy nominee John Scheinfeld (The U.S. vs. John Lennon), is completing the film, which captures the unique relationship between a great city and its baseball team. This documentary is the first film authorized by the Chicago Cubs in over 30 years and has the support of both Major League Baseball and the Major League Baseball Players Association.

Cubs first baseman Derrek Lee knows about heartbreak – and hope. When his daughter was initially misdiagnosed with LCA, Derrek and his wife, Christina, were told there was no cure. But the Lees then learned about groundbreaking LCA research taking place at the University of Iowa, and suddenly hope reappeared.

Although it’s now been determined that Lee’s daughter does not have LCA, the Lees continue to be committed to helping identify the estimated 3000 individuals with the disease in order to offer them genetic testing, in hopes of finding a treatment and eventually a cure.

The documentary film is set against the 2008 baseball season – the 100th anniversary of the last Cubs World Series win and explores and reveals the character, spirit and soul of the Chicago and why its people have rooted for the Cubs so passionately and for so long.

A Chicago premiere of the documentary will take place in 2009. The film is expected to be released in six languages including English, Spanish, Japanese, Portuguese, German and Chinese. Plans are also under consideration to issue a limited edition collector’s DVD in mid-2009 in time for Father’s Day.

For further information about We Believe – Chicago and its Cubs, visit www.webelievethemovie.com.