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Pelada: Watch the year’s best soccer film Sunday

If you’re free Sunday night, you should watch this film.

It’s called Pelada, and it’s being screened Sunday here in Philly.

Pelada follows two college soccer players — Duke’s Gwendolyn Oxenham and Luke Boughen of Notre Dame — who traveled the world in search of pickup games and the stories behind the people who played them. Their six-month trek took them to 25 countries, from the back lots of  Ghana and Kenya to the strife-torn streets of the Jerusalem and Iran and even inside a Bolivian prison.

Directors Ryan White and Rebekah Ferguson raised $30,000 to make the film and have sold the international rights to PBS. Sunday’s screening is the first in Philadelphia and will be followed by a Q & A session with White. Here’s the basic info:

September 19th – Philadelphia, PA

7 PM – The Ibrahim Theater @ International House

3701 Chestnut St.

Philadelphia, PA 19104

To buy tickets, click here. Tickets are $10 apiece, though there are discounts for some groups (such as players in Philly’s Casa Soccer League).

Here are some excerpts from reviews:

  • “To get a sense of Pelada’s unique motivational quality, take the gut feeling a killer Nike commercial can evoke and imagine riding that high for 90 minutes.”  —Variety
  • “Brimming with energy and optimism…an extended love letter to soccer…rings close to pitch-perfect…” —The New York Times
  • “…what elevates Pelada from a cute highlight travelogue to something more resonant is the filmmakers’ ability to find compelling stories and earn the trust of their interview subjects.” —Sports Illustrated

Just watch the trailer above. If it doesn’t grab you, well — stay home and miss out. But I’m going. See you there!

5 Comments

  1. The first 20 Casa players to purchase tickets will receive $2 off the price.

    Please email me at president@phillysoccer.org to for the coupon code.

    Thanks!

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