Yogi Berra kicks off Long Beach film festival

The Long Beach International Film Festival kicks off Wednesday, starting a slate of over 40 films through Saturday. The films range from feature-length narratives and documentaries to shorts and animation.

The first film is a feature documentary called “It Ain’t Over,” an exploration into the life of former Yankees catcher Yogi Berra. The film’s executive producer is his granddaughter, Lindsay Berra. It was shown at the Lynbrook movie theater.

Lindsay said talks for the film began in 2018 when the film’s producer, Peter Sobiloff, who has been involved with the Yogi Berra Museum in New Jersey and with the Berra family, saw the movie, Mr. Rogers. He wanted to do the same for Yogi.

“Grandpa, as great a player he was, at the end of the day, was somewhat overshadowed by his ‘Yogisms’,” Berra said. “He was still underrated.”

Among his most famous: “Nobody eats at that restaurant anymore. It’s too crowded.”

Lindsay wasn’t always involved with the film but felt a need to join the crew when Yadier Molina, the catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals, recorded his 1,000th RBI earlier this season. After Molina recorded it, there was a social media post with him, Johnny Bench and Ivan “Pudge” Rodriguez, all catchers who have recorded 1,000 RBIs in their careers.

Yogi wasn’t in the picture, even though he holds the record for most RBIs all-time by a catcher with 1,430.

“I hope the documentary helps bring him back into the picture,” Berra said.

The film highlights his playing days but tells his life story as an Italian immigrant, a soldier in the military on D-Day, his personal relationships and his legacy. Lindsay said that it’s a “complete documentary with something for everyone.”

The film has a number of interviews to accompany the footage of Yogi’s life. They include Derek Jeter, members of the Berra family, Yankee manager Joe Torre, Joe Girardi, historians and Long Beach’s own, Billy Crystal.