MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – Born and raised in Green Bay, Wisconsin, Josh Rosenberg says never in his wildest dreams did he think his short film would end up with the Academy Awards.

“The people of Wisconsin are so welcoming and really embrace when people have a big idea they want to go for. I just say the resources are there, and you have to go after what you believe in,” says Rosenberg.

Rosenberg went to Ashwaubenon High School and then received his broadcast journalism degree from UW-Milwaukee. Now he and his family live in Los Angeles, California, where he works as the Head of Productions with Breakwater Studios. That is where he helped bring to life a now Academy Award winning short film called “The Queen of Basketball.”

The 22-minute long film takes the viewer through the life of Lusia Harris, a pioneering athlete who became a basketball phenomenon in the 1970s. She won three championship titles with Delta State. And she made history as the first woman to score a basket in the Olympics. She was also one of the first two women inducted into the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame.

“This was originally produced through a series called “Almost Famous.” And so what it was was taking a look at things in history that, had it gone a certain way, they would have been recognized. And I think when we look at the inequities that are still in our society, whether it’s gender, race, these are still things that are very top of mind. And we sit here and we see Lucia, who is arguably one of the great athletes of all time, and because of the time she played, her gender and her race did not give her the opportunity to fully share her gifts with the world. And I think unfortunately, that is a thing that is still relevant, and I think that is resonating with people,” explains Rosenberg.

You can watch “The Queen of Basketball” for free here. Rosenberg and his team are coming out with another short film called “Small Town Wisconsin” in June.

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