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Leon Gast

Documentarian Leon Gast spent two months in Zaire and 22 years in editing rooms in order to create and complete "When We Were Kings," his 1996 documentary on the Muhammad Ali-George Foreman 'Rumble in the Jungle' heavyweight title bout and its profound affect on the African-American community. Originally intended to be a concert film, it evolved into a portrait of the youthful and popular Ali contrasted with the more subdued Foreman. Because of a postponement due to an injury to Foreman, the scheduled concert, headlined by James Brown and B B King, went on to nearly empty houses. Yet Gast kept his cameras rolling and ended up with some 300,000 feet of film. Over the years, he attempted to find financing to complete the film. Finally, with assistance from Taylor Hackford who suggested filming contemporary interviews with such notables as Norman Mailer and Spike Lee to frame the picture, Gast completed the documentary. After its premiere at the 1996 Sundance Film Festival, "When We Were Kings" went on to win numerous critical prizes and the Best Documentary Feature Oscar.