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Kristen Lappas

Kristen Lappas

Production

Biography

Kristen Lappas is a director and producer with Words + Pictures. Lappas has twice won Emmys for her short sports documentaries (Blackfeet Boxing: Not Invisible and A Mountain to Climb) and has also had her work featured at the Tribeca Film Festival, and honored by AFI Docs, the NAMIC Vision Awards, Critics Choice Awards, and more. Most recently, Lappas directed a 30 for 30 multi-part documentary called “Dream On,” which is currently available on ESPN+ and Hulu. The project was nominated for an IDA award and Lappas won in the “Best Non-Fiction Show Director” category at the Women’s Image Awards for the series.

Known For

30 for 30
7.5

30 for 30 is the title for a series of documentary films airing on ESPN, its sister networks, and online highlighting interesting people and events in sports history. This currently includes four "volumes" of 30 episodes each, a 13-episode series under the ESPN Films Presents title in 2011–2012, and a series of 30 for 30 Shorts shown through the ESPN.com website. The series has also expanded to include Soccer Stories, which aired in advance of the 2014 FIFA World Cup, and audio podcasts. This entry refers to the main Volumes of the series presented by ESPN

30 for 30

2009
Full Court Press
N/A

Full Court Press chronicles the ongoing journeys of senior Iowa guard Caitlin Clark, senior South Carolina center Kamilla Cardoso and sophomore UCLA guard Kiki Rice. From Iowa's historic preseason game that broke attendance records all the way through the WNBA draft in April, the series uses unparalleled access, exclusive interviews, and unique game footage, to transport audiences into the lives of these exceptional athletes. Full Court Press follows them as they steer their celebrated programs towards a national championship, all while navigating the pressures that come with representing the game during a pivotal era in women's basketball.

Full Court Press

2024
Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story
8.1

Christopher Reeve portrayed the Man of Steel in four Superman films and played dozens of other roles that displayed his talent and range as an actor, before being injured in a near-fatal horse-riding accident in 1995 that left him paralyzed from the neck down. After becoming a quadriplegic, he became a charismatic leader and activist in the quest to find a cure for spinal cord injuries, as well as a passionate advocate for disability rights and care.

Super/Man: The Christopher Reeve Story

2024
The Kingdom
6.3

In 2024, the two-time defending champion Kansas City Chiefs aimed to make history by becoming the first NFL team to win three straight Super Bowls. "The Kingdom" – a new six-part ESPN Original Series – chronicles the Chiefs’ dramatic pursuit of a three-peat, the legacy of the franchise, and the unforgettable characters who built its modern-day football dynasty.

The Kingdom

2025
Be Water
6.8

In 1971, after being rejected by Hollywood, Bruce Lee returned to his parents’ homeland of Hong Kong to complete four iconic films. Charting his struggles between two worlds, this portrait explores questions of identity and representation through the use of rare archival footage, interviews with loved ones and Bruce’s own writings.

Be Water

2020
Giannis: The Marvelous Journey
7.2

A documentary that chronicles the extraordinary odyssey of NBA mega-star Giannis Antetokounmpo from an impoverished childhood in Greece as the son of Nigerian immigrants to the very top of the basketball world.

Giannis: The Marvelous Journey

2024
The Moment
N/A

From early pioneers to today’s sellout run, trace the 50-year rise of women’s hoops to coach Dawn Staley and her champion South Carolina Gamecocks.

The Moment

2026
Algiers, America
4.5

Chronicles the journey of Coach Brice Brown and the Edna Karr Cougars – a predominantly Black high school in Algiers, New Orleans – as they chase their future, their dreams, and a fifth state championship in six seasons.

Algiers, America

2023
Al Davis vs. The NFL
5.3

The maverick machinations of Oakland/Los Angeles Raiders owner Al Davis and his many quarrels with the National Football League.

Al Davis vs. The NFL

2021
The Lionheart
6.4

The on-track death of two-time Indianapolis 500 winner Dan Wheldon shook motorsports to its core. Ten years later, Wheldon’s sons Sebastian and Oliver follow in their father’s footsteps, working through their grief behind the wheel at 200 MPH.

The Lionheart

2023
Dream On
6.0

The story of the indomitable 1996 USA Women's Olympic basketball team, their grueling journey to success, and their influence in forming the WNBA.

Dream On

2022
Blackfeet Boxing: Not Invisible
1.0

As the epidemic of missing and murdered Indigenous women epidemic affects tribal communities, a group of Blackfeet women tackle the threat head-on by practicing and training in self-defense.

Blackfeet Boxing: Not Invisible

2020
No image
N/A

The story of the basketball court at the Taguig Tenement in the Philippines, a dilapidated, seven-story concrete building used as a housing project for thousands of Filipinos in one of the poorest areas of Manila. The government is currently trying to evacuate the structure, deeming it unfit for living, but the residents have refused to leave, mainly because of the basketball court at the center of the property.

Saving the Tenement

2020