Like most people the world over, our thoughts are on Ukraine.
The scenes of war and the way the soccer world has been involved has us thinking about some of the most powerful soccer films that saw the game through the lens of war, or vice versa.
Victory, of course, is one of the quintessential films about soccer in a war zone. But there have been plenty of others. Here are a few that seem very poignant right now.
Ana’s Playground
Eric B. Howell’s 20-minute short, which played at K+S New York in 2009, is one of the most powerful films we’ve ever screened at K+S. Filmed in Minnesota, it tells the story of a young girl named Ana and her friends. When their soccer ball goes into a yard watched over by a sniper, Ana is pulled into a tense game of cat and mouse.
Mundial: The Highest Stakes
While their nation is under martial law, the Polish national team travels to Spain for the 1982 World Cup. Michal Bielawski’s film explores the impact of their performance en route to a 3rd-place finish and the political tensions surrounding the team each time they stepped on the field.
Mundial won the “Golden Whistle” at K+S New York 2013.
Streaming is unavailable, as far as we know.
Joyeux Noël
Based on the true story of the so-called “Christmas truce,” when three armies in the bloody trenches of World War I laid down their guns and played soccer with each other.
One: The Story of a Goal
While a bloody civil war raged at home, El Salvador’s national team traveled to Spain for the 1982 World Cup -- one of only two World Cup tournaments the nation has ever qualified for. In their opening match, they lost to Hungary, 10-1 — still the most lopsided score in World Cup history.
But that one goal, scored by Luis Ramirez Zapata, remains a symbol of pride and joy for the tiny nation. This is the story of that goal and its legacy.
The Last Yugoslavian Football Team
In the late 1980s and early 1990s, Yugoslavia was a soccer powerhouse. They reached the quarterfinals of the 1990 World Cup and had players at the likes of Real Madrid, AC Milan, Arsenal, and Barcelona. But by the end of the decade, their nation — and their team — had been ripped apart. This searing documentary is an unflinching look at the emotion on both sides of this story, as seen through the players who lived it.
The Last Yugoslavian Team screened at K+S New York 2010 and K+S Amsterdam 2011.
Streaming is unavailable, as far as we know.
The 90 Minute War
The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has lasted 100 years. 100 years of war, bloodshed, bitterness, suffering. 100 years of stalemate, intransigence and failed peace deals. And now, it’s all over! They’ve finally found the solution: A game of soccer. The winner gets to stay. The loser leaves forever. And no whining.
The 90 Minute War screened at K+S New York 2017.