Twitter: @danieluh
Perhaps no sport unites the global community as much as soccer. As witnessed at our UEFA Champions League viewing last week, the game has the ability to bring together people of all backgrounds, languages and colors, and it has long been a source of passion for many Latinos. It was only a matter of time before film and soccer became a “thing,” with the sports genre quickly emerging at film festivals around the world. The Kicking + Screening Soccer Film Festival in NYC was the first of its kind, and has since spread to other cities, including Washington, Houston, London, and even Kerala, India.
If you’re in NYC from June 18 through June 21, you have the opportunity to experience some of the best soccer films from around the world and join the exciting culture of the game that inspires so many.
Directors: Gilles Perez and Gilles Rof Buy tickets HERE
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Synopsis: In this documentary, former French international footballer Eric Cantona shares the stories of five soccer stars who stood up and fought back during a time when business and power began to corrupt the sport. The film highlights the lives of some of the greats, Rachid Mekloufi, Brazil’s Socrates, Predrag Pasic, Carlos Caszely of Chile, and Didier Drogba.
Mundial. The Highest Stakes Director: Michal Bielawski Buy tickets HERE
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Synopsis: We all love a good underdog story, don’t we? Such was the case with Poland’s National Team at the 1982 Copa Mundial in Spain. In a time when Poland was under martial law-censorship, troops- the Polish people found escape in their TV sets, and the film documents their journey as they rose to become third place, against heavy opposition.
3 Millones
Directors: Jaime Roos and Yamandu Roos
Buy tickets HERE
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Synopsis: This documentary is the exciting and uplifting journey of Uruguayan musician Jaime Roos and his Dutch son, photographer Yamandu Roos, as they are reunited on the road to the World Cup in South Africa. As they follow the Uruguayan national soccer team, they encounter the joyous colors, passions and people that have all come to celebrate the world’s game.