Kicking & Screening

Hot soccer players wanted in Michigan!

Are you a woman? Are you between the ages of 18-25 Are you attractive? Have you played a decent amount of soccer?

Do you live in Grand Rapids?!?

Then this could be your break of a lifetime!

No joke. Someone is making a film called Playback in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and, according to a post from the West Michigan Film Office, they need "8 ATTRACTIVE WOMEN AGE 18 – 25 WHO ARE EXPERIENCED SOCCER PLAYERS" to act as extras.

We here at Kicking & Screening have no idea if this is a soccer film, but we'll find out. And, hey, if you are an attractive woman age 18-25 who is an experienced soccer player, this could be your chance.

Good luck.

A football film Bunuel would've loved... or made himself

The 1982 World Cup semifinal match between France and Germany went to penalty kicks. It is, to this day, one of the classic matches of all time, which finished 1-1 after normal time, 3-3 after added extratime, and finally was won by the Germans 5-4 after six penalties.

In short, it was brilliant. So brilliant, in fact, that a French filmmaker decided to re-create it 28 years later. 

Well, "re-create" is probably not the right word. "Deconstruct" or even "reconstruct" is probably better. Because Pied La Biche's Refait, shot in Villeurbanne, France, twists the match into an urban fantasy/passion play. It's all very French and, like the game, very brilliant.

Director Tesoriere tackles violence in Argentine football

Violence has a long sickening connection to soccer. The hooligans of Thatcher's England, the neofascist ultras of Italy, the druglords of Colombia's 1990s heyday, the Angolan separatists who attacked Togo's bus at this year's Cup of Nations--they are just a few of the head-shaking elements that have brought ugliness into the beautiful game over the years.

Death has often raised its ugly head, from Heysel to Hillsborough to Abidjian, although many of the powers that be stubbornly refuse to acknowledge the violence in the game. 

This refusal/ignorance provided the motivation to Pablo Tesoriere and his recent documentary, Futbol Violenca S.A. (Football Violence, Inc.), which takes a critical look at the violence in Argentine football, particularly the behavior of the (in)famous barra bravas, or supporters' groups, and their impact on the larger society.

K&S friend Juan Arango recently interviewed Tesoriere for his website SimplyFutbol.com.