NEED TO KNOW
- A new documentary explores Roberto Clemente’s lasting legacy, including his accomplishments both on and off the baseball diamond
- The Hall of Famer’s three sons, Roberto Clemente Jr., Luis Roberto Clemente and Roberto Enrique Clemente, all serve as executive producers on the film alongside Richard Linklater and LeBron James
- The film hits theaters on Sept. 12, three days before Major League Baseball’s Roberto Clemente Day
More than five decades after World Series champion Roberto Clemente’s tragic death, his loved ones and admirers are helping to tell his story.
PEOPLE has an exclusive look at the trailer for Clemente — a new documentary that explores the athlete’s life both on and off the field. It will anthem theaters on Sept. 12, three days before Major League Baseball’s official Roberto Clemente Day.
Directed by David Altrogge, the documentary took home the Documentary Spotlight Audience Award last year at the SXSW Film & TV Festival, and includes appearances by titans of Hollywood and baseball, including Rita Moreno, Michael Keaton, Francisco Lindor and Yadier Molina, who all speak about Clemente’s lasting legacy.
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As the trailer begins, archival footage of Clemente rolls and a voiceover says, “He just played at another level.”
“I could never tell if he was aware of how f—ing cool he looked,” Keaton says, sporting a Pittsburgh Pirates cap in honor of the team with which Clemente spent his entire career, playing from 1955–1972.
The film touches not only on his sporting accomplishments, which include two World Series championships and the 1966 National League MVP title, but his marriage to his wife Vera and his philanthropic efforts.
“When you talk about Clemente, you talk about the legacy he left outside of the game,” Lindor, who is a fellow Puerto Rican, says.
courtesy of Clemente Film Ltd.
The documentary will also shine a light on the discrimination Clemente faced during his time in MLB. An old interview clip included in the trailer shows the athlete declaring, “If I [am] good enough to play here, I have to be good enough to be treated like the rest of the players.”
Clemente died in December 1972 at just 38 years old in a plane crash while delivering supplies to victims of an earthquake in Nicaragua. He was inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame the following year, becoming the first player born in Latin America to be included.
To this day, MLB honors Clemente annually with “Roberto Clemente Day” on Sept. 15 — the same day the documentary will anthem theaters — which it when it presents the Roberto Clemente Award to a player who represents the sport through “extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field.”
“He wanted to represent every person suffering injustice,” a voiceover is heard saying as the trailer comes to a close.
courtesy of Clemente Film Ltd.
Clemente’s three sons, Roberto Clemente Jr., Luis Roberto Clemente and Roberto Enrique Clemente, all serve as executive producers on the film alongside Richard Linklater, LeBron James, Maverick Carter, Jamal Henderson, Philip Byron, Duane Rieder, Steve Burman, Laura Heberton, Jim Evans, Bradley Ragland, Lillian Young and Dawn Butler.
“We are proud and excited for the release of this extraordinary project, which offers a deeper understanding of the man behind the legend — my father, Roberto Clemente,” Clemente Jr. says. “His life was defined by purpose, compassion, and an unwavering commitment to others, and we hope this project inspires a new generation to carry that forward.”
Clemente premiered at SXSW in 2024 and will anthem theaters on Sept. 12, 2025.
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