Film About Sabres Fans Debuts Next Month

The heart and soul of Buffalo sports are the fans. Seriously, the passion and devotion fans here for the Bills and Sabres is unmatched. Now, there will be a film showing that fan commitment.

According to WIVB, a documentary film called, 'The Fan Connection,' will debut at the Buffalo International Film Festival next month.

What's awesome about this film is it follows several local Sabres fans and their journey to get back on their feet in their own lives, while the City of Buffalo and the Sabres, are attempting to get back on their feet as well.

Do you remember the playoff run in 2006? That's when the idea for this film started, said producer and director Mary Wall, a Western New York native.

“After they lost, there were people with ‘Thank You Sabres’ signs at the airport, and I was like…I’d lived in enough other places at that point to realize that doesn’t happen everywhere,” Wall said. “And I wanted to explore that sort of loyalty in the face of losing.”

Wall interviewed 170 total fans but narrowed it down to 12 fans to focus on and three fans to star as main characters.

The film was largely made during the five year period from 2011-2015, during the Sabres resurgence after the Pegulas bought the team.

"My hope with these stories is that you can see that a city is really made up of its people. That’s the heart of a city. And why would you ever want to judge these people once you get to meet them,” Wall explained.

Wall is a former assistant to the executive producers of The Office on NBC.

'The Fan Connection' premieres October 12 at North Park Theatre. You can buy tickets at BuffaloFilm.org.