Private Project

Flamingos on the Field

Logline: After winning at the 2022 Bingham Cup International Tournament, that was held in Ontario Canada, Baltimore, Maryland’s Gay and Inclusive Rugby team, The Baltimore Flamingos prepare to take on the challenge of the upcoming season and compete in the North American Gay Rugby Tournament in Charlotte North Carolina.

Synopsis: Flamingos on the Field takes an inside, and on field, look at a rugby team out of Baltimore, Maryland, who six years after their official formation, won 1st place at the Bingham Cup tournament -- an International Gay Rugby Tournament held every 2 years in a new country.
The film follows two players Val Pizzo and 1st LT Malik Jones and their head coach Kirk Wiggins.
Val Pizzo, an advocate for transgender people in sports, tells stories of how he became involved in rugby, and now gay rugby, and how impactful having spaces like Gay and Inclusive Rugby can be to the queer community.
USMC 1st LT Malik Jones, a new rugby player, recounts his time on the team and experiencing his first Bingham Cup, how the team has allowed him to express himself, and how he has built a family in a community of other queer athletes.
Their coach, a long-time rugby player and coach, Kirk Wiggins, talks about his coming to the team, the impact coaching a gay team for the first time has had on him, and how the team has impacted him as a coach and person overall.
The film illuminates the love and connections that queer rugby has created in a tough city, the challenges a team like this can face, and the triumphs that have been overcome and have won the hearts of Baltimorians

  • Keno'e Mullings
    Director
  • Keno'e Mullings
    Writer
  • Stevenson University
    Producer
  • Eric Cotten
    Producer
  • Dina Fiasconaro
    Producer
  • Val Pizzo
    Key Cast
    "President & IGR Rep"
  • Kirk Wiggins
    Key Cast
    "Head Coach"
  • Malik Jones
    Key Cast
    "Backs Captain"
  • Brass Tap Baltimore
    Special Thanks
  • Baltimore Eagle
    Special Thanks
  • Project Type:
    Documentary, Short, Student
  • Genres:
    Sports, LGBTQ+, Queer
  • Runtime:
    12 minutes 45 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    May 8, 2023
  • Production Budget:
    0 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    United States
  • Country of Filming:
    United States
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Apple ProRes
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    Yes
  • Student Project:
    Yes - Stevenson University
  • Stevenson University Senior Capstone Showcase
    Owings Mills
    United States
    May 11, 2023
Director Biography - Keno'e Mullings

Keno’e is a 28 year old Baltimore based filmmaker finishing his final year at Stevenson University in the Film and Moving Image department. Historically his work experience has been in narrative and horror shorts. Recently he has been exploring documentaries that focus on LGBTQ+ stories in Baltimore City. He is currently working on a short documentary highlighting the city’s Gay and Inclusive Rugby team, the Baltimore Flamingos.
He has worked on projects like September (2021 [WHRCK Prod.]), Mumbo Sauce - A Short Doc (2020 [WHRCK Prod.]), That’s My Comic (2021 [Eli Smith]). His works include a short horror, Caught (2018), a silent narrative about depression titled S.A.D. (2018), a super short narrative Red Bandana (2019), and has filmed many sports games.

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Director Statement

After winning at the 2022 Bingham Cup Tournament that was held in Ontario Canada, a local gay and inclusive rugby team from Baltimore, Maryland gets ready to dominate the upcoming tournament in their spring season.
I knew coming to Stevenson university would end with me creating a short film as my senior thesis and I was determined to know what it was prior to attending. I was already on an amazing rugby team that I wanted to brag about as loudly as I could. I came to the team with no friends no support groups no sense of community fresh out of the military. My first practice I was not aware that the team was a gay and inclusive team, but they welcomed me with open arms and hearts and I kept coming back. The team provided everything I was looking for in a team, friends, and support group. My second season with the team I became part of the leadership, trying to find ways to give back to the team. I was watching a documentaries about rugby teams for an assignment for another class. I remember watching three films that were about gay rugby and realized that none of them were out of the US and that was when I realized something that hand been done yet, I could do! Knowing that the team was going to an international tournament I could set the film around it and have a head start in the filming process.
This project is important because in a world where representation matters people need to see that sports, especially tough and/or extreme sports, is not just for straight masculine men, but that people of all sizes, shapes, and expressions of gender can participate and dominate as well. I also find it important to inform people that these teams and spaces exist to either encourage them find theirs or to inspire them to create their own.
Being part of the team for the last 5 years and watching how the team has grown and progressed makes me one of the best people to make this film. The team is home to LGBTQ+ and I fall under that umbrella somewhere. I know which parts of the story to focus on and expound on. The cast is already comfortable sharing their truths with me and knowing them I know I can tell the story in a way that makes them shine their brightest.