Soccer Film Festival + Budweiser to host two-day festival in Rio de Janeiro during World Cup

As everyone everywhere knows, the soccer world is descending on Brazil for the next month as the 2014 FIFA World Cup takes place. And K+S will be there.

K+S Rio 2014, made possible by Budweiser, will take place on July 6 + 7 at the Budwieser Hotel at Pestana, right on Copacabana Beach in the heart of all the futebol action.

The event lineup is almost as good as some of the quarterfinal matches we're sure to see in the days leading up to the festival.

It includes One Nation and Forever Heroes, two of the original films from Budweiser's Rise as One series; the South American debut of We Must Go, about American coach Bob Bradley's adventures as manager of the Egyptian national team; and the first screening in the Western Hemisphere of the remarkable new film Bosnia in Our Hearts. 

We will also host several panel discussions at the festival, moderated by our own Greg Lalas and featuring Lilian Thuram, former French international; Alexi Lalas, former US international and current ESPN broadcaster; and former Zambian international and current president of the Zambian Football Federation. 

K+S RIO PROGRAM

SUNDAY, JULY 6 | 6:30 PM

Bosnia in Our Hearts, dir. by Sixten Bjorkstrand -- The Bosnian community is fractured and spread around the world. Their national team helps bring them together. This documentary follows three Bosnians from Finland on their journey to their nation's final 2014 World Cup qualifier in Lithuania.

One Nation: Rise as One, dir. by Scott Boggins & Gabriel Spitzer -- How the French national team used the 1998 World Cup to help heal the racial splits within their nation and sport.

Panel Discussion:

  • Lilian Thuram - founder of Fondacion Lilian Thuram, French World Cup winner, 
  • Alexi Lalas - ESPN analyst, ex-USA international

MONDAY, JULY 7 | 6:30 PM

We Must Go, dir. by Dave LaMattina & Chad Walker -- When American Bob Bradley becomes the manager of the Egyptian national team, he has one goal: qualify for the 2014 World Cup. But realities on the ground show him there are larger goals he must consider.

Forever Heroes: Rise as One, dir. by Scott Boggins & Gabriel Spitzer -- Nearly 20 years after a plane crash killed all but three from Zambia's national team, the new survivor-led squad competes just miles from the crash site, revealing the power of the game.

Panel Discussion:

  • Kalusha Bwalya - President of Football Association of Zambia, ex-Zambian international
  • Alexi Lalas - ESPN analyst, ex-USA international

To attend K+S Rio, email us at info@kickingandscreening.com.

Diego Luna's short film of the elderly playing soccer will make you smile

Yes, it's an advertisement for Pepsi. But this is the age we live in. Filmmakers gotta make a living, too. And in some ways, commercial work allows filmmakers to express things that the film industry simply won't. 

Which is a long way of saying we have no qualms praising Mexican actor Diego Luna's short soccer film I Will Never Let You Down. Just three minutes long, it's a certain kind of masterpiece, depicting a group of elderly men and women who come together on a dusty field in Latin America to -- what else? -- play a game of soccer.

Under Luna's directorial gaze, this game is played in slow motion to the sweet strains of an Argentine tango, emphasizing a universal truth about futbol: It's a dance, regardless of your age or ability. Enjoy.

K+S New York 2014 comes to a close...Thank you!

Wow. That's just about all we can say. WOW!

The 6th annual Kicking + Screening Soccer Film Festival, presented by Budweiser, came to a close on Friday night with one helluva bang. The films -- Match for Peace, Geronimo's Promise, and El Otro SuperClasico -- took fans on a celluloid trip to Brazil. And then the afterparty, hosted by Howler Magazine and featuring live music from the incredible Underground Horns, brought us to the final whistle in fine samba-groovin' style.

Along the way, it was an amazing adventure of soccer and culture. A few highlights that stick out to us:

  • the opening-night panel about soccer and national identity with Gabe Spitzer, Grant Wahl, and Zohair Ghenania
  • the incredible cliffhanger we were left with at the end of the We Must Go sneak peek; can't wait for the final film!
  • that amazing moment on Night 2 when the NYC soccer families came together as Robin Fraser from the New York Red Bulls and Giovanni Savarese from the New York Cosmos talked about coaching
  • the inspiring stories told by Nico Calabria, a US Amputee World Cup player and star of the mini-doc Nico, on Night 3
  • on the same night, a surprise visit from former US national team coach Steve Sampson, who ran into former US World Cup star Alexi Lalas for the first time in years
  • the dancing -- and more dancing -- to the fantastic grooves set down by the Underground Horns on closing night

Before signing off from NYC, we would like to thank Budweiser for their support and efforts to make K+S something bigger and better than it was.

Thanks also to all the filmmakers, particularly those who came to participate in our festival with us: Scott Boggins and Gabe Spitzer (One Nation & Match for Peace), Birgit Ehret (The 1905ers), Luiz Menegaz (Geronimo's Promise), Santiago Dulce (El Otro SuperClasico), Chad Walker & Dave LaMattina (We Must Go).

Most importantly, though, thanks to you, the incredible community of #SoccerInNYC that comes out and supports K+S every year.

See you in Copenhagen, June 1-4!

"Scouting for Zebras" wins Golden Whistle Award at K+S Soccer Film Festival NY 2014, pres. by Budweiser

Sometimes a film comes to us and we are at a loss to predict what the reaction will be from K+S festival attendees. Benoit Mariage's film Scouting for Zebras was one such entry.

A powerful, darkly comedic take on the shady side of trafficking in young African talent, Zebras starredBenoit Poelvoorde, a relative unknown in North America, and the film didn't attract much attention among our New York fans before the festival. A Belgian film about an aging agent and his trip to the Ivory Coast? Didn't sound like a winner to American audiences.

But even so, the screening sold out. And after, it was the talk of the festival. It is impossible not to admire Zebras' ambition and its power to reveal the ugliness of global soccer even while putting a human touch on it all.

For those reasons, Scouting for Zebras was named the 2014 winner of the Golden Whistle Award at the 6th annual Kicking + Screening Soccer Film Festival, presented by Budweiser. Awarded annually to the festival's best film, the Golden Whistle as determined by the K+S film jury.