In 1992, Marion Tinsley aspires to achieve his potential as the world’s greatest checkers player by accepting the ultimate challenge—a match against an unbeatable checkers playing computer.

King Me provides a deep focus into the mind of Marion Tinsley, a real World Checkers Champion from 1992. We were excited by the specificity of a subject like checkers, and wanted to create a narrative using this to speak to the larger universal truth of seeking one’s higher purpose.

FROM THE DIRECTOR

“Our film provides a deep focus into the mind of Marion Tinsley, a real World Checkers Champion from 1992. We were excited by the specificity of a subject like checkers, and wanted to create a narrative using this to speak to the larger universal truth of seeking one’s higher purpose.

This short film was directed by John Matysiak, the cinematographer of OLD HENRY (2021) and the feature films MEET CUTE and ACIDMAN. It was produced by Stout in Nashville, Tennessee.

It has always been the mission of our team to tell distinctive narratives in a bold fashion. To accompany the unique nature of the topic, it was important for us to tell Tinsley’s story in a way that expanded the boundaries of the biographical genre. This informed our approach of blending documentary-esque interviews, narrative visualizations, and scene recreations that brought history to life through authentic details.”

-John Matysiak