Kicking It
| Kicking It | |
|---|---|
 |
|
| Directed by | Susan Koch Jeff Werner |
| Produced by |
Ted Leonsis Jedd Wider Todd Wider |
| Written by | Susan Koch |
| Narrated by | Colin Farrell |
| Music by | Barry Cole |
| Edited by | Jeff Werner |
|
Release date
|
|
|
Running time
|
98 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
Kicking It is a 2008 documentary film directed by Susan Koch and Jeff Werner focusing on the experiences of seven homeless people at the Homeless World Cup football (soccer) game. Featured in the documentary, narrated by actor Colin Farrell were residents of Afghanistan; Kenya; Dublin, Ireland; Charlotte, North Carolina; Madrid, Spain and St. Petersburg, Russia. The film premiered in January 2008 at the Sundance Film Festival and is being distributed by Liberation Entertainment, Netflix and ESPN. It has received mixed reviews.
The Homeless World Cup is an annual international football competition for the homeless, first held in 2003 in Austria. The documentary was filmed during 2006, when the event was hosted in Cape Town, South Africa. 48 teams composed of 500 homeless persons gathered to compete.
Co-producer Ted Leonsis, who owns the professional sports teams Washington Capitals (ice hockey) and Washington Wizards (basketball), described the documentary as an act of "filmanthropy", "using film and other media platforms to catalyze social change and actively give back to society." Narrator Colin Farrell indicated that he decided to participate in the documentary after seeing it and determining that the film was both "undeniably moving" and "important", noting that he was particularly affected by the stories of Afghanistan's Najib and Ireland's Simon.
At Sundance, sports broadcaster ESPN signed on to help the film secure theatrical and DVD distribution while securing television rights worldwide to itself. Subsequently, such distribution was secured through Liberation Entertainment and Netflix.
Although according to The Washington Times the film "drew rave reviews at the Sundance and Tribeca film festivals and at its New York premiere", reviews in New York were mixed. Positive reviews in Time Out of New York and The New York Press described it as a "thoughtful portrayal" and a "strongly composed drama", "[p]lain-spoken and smoothly paced", respectively, though New York Press questioned the usefulness of Farrell to the film, except in providing wider exposure.The New York Times characterized the film as "long on soulful commentary and spirited game play, but short on surprise and relevance beyond its basic social service function."The New York Daily News found the film "well-meaning" and "without much sentimentality", but indicated that "it could benefit from a more pared-down approach."
...
Wikipedia