Beautiful Game Series
BEAUTIFUL GAME SERIES
Beautiful Game Series
BEAUTIFUL GAME SERIES
Beautiful Game Series is a sophisticated filmed look at Brazilian culture through the prism of its rich football history and other fundamentals of Brazilian life, art, music, and dance, to expose the cross-currents beneath the surface.
For all its simplicity and accessibility, futébol is a “complicated” game , especially in Brazil, where the real national pastime is seeking joy, cultivating a heart that overcomes suffering, and sharing it with others.
Counterweight began developing the Beautiful Game Series understanding that the eyes of the world would turn to Brazil in 2014 and 2016 as it hosted the World Cup and Olympics. Fueled by the the audacious energy of dreamers living 5000 miles apart, the work generated a small film library, knowledge, and too many “complications”. In May 2024, Brazil was awarded the 2027 FIFA Women’s World Cup. While the world has changed, a project attuned to the heart of a nation of football lovers remains.
In Celebration of Brazil and Football
SHADOW GAME: Women, Girls and Soccer tells a moving story about striving for equality and freedom on and off the field in a “man’s sport”.during an era of change and continuing violence against women.
Brazil-born Marta was the first global star in the women’s game. Her laurels include five consecutive FIFA World Player of the Year Awards and two Olympic silver medals. Marta's story is a window into the history and culture of women's sports. Women’s football rose in Brazil during the 1920s and ’30s. In 1941, deeply conservative views about gender, race, class, and commerce led the newly centralized Brazilian government to ban many women’s sports, including football. Reaffirmed by the military dictatorship in 1965, these laws stood until 1979. SHADOW GAME is the initial film in the timely and important Beautiful Game Series of four (4), distinct, feature-length filmed stories about the world’s most popular sport.
KISSING THE CUP
The 1970 World Championship Captain
KISSING THE CUP is an intimate account of Brazil’s 1970 World Cup Championship team and its captain, Carlos Alberto Torres.Carlos Alberto led a national team of superstars, which included his friend and teammate, Pelé, to secure Brazil's status as THE FOOTBALL NATION. The story of beloved “O Capitao” connects football to a rapidly changing 20th Century and shines a light on the global marketing of professional futébol and its impact the life of a player and generations of family.
SHADOW GAME PROFORMA INTERVIEWS
SHADOW GAME PROFORMA INTERVIEWS
SHADOW GAME PROFORMA INTERVIEWS
MARTA VIEIRA da SILVA was born on February 19, 1986 in Dois Riachos, Brazil. Marta is often regarded as the best female player of all time. She lived and played in Sweden for many years while competing for the Brazil national team as a forward. With 15 goals, she holds the record for most goals scored at FIFA Women's World Cup tournaments and has been designated FIFA World Player of the Year five times.
MIA HAMM was born on March 17, 1972, in Selma, Alabama, Mia is frequently considered the best female soccer player in history. She played with the U.S. women's national soccer team for 17 years, building one of the biggest fan bases of any American athlete.
CHRISTINE SINCLAIR is a Canadian soccer player and captain of the Canadian national team. She is a graduate of Princeton University and plays professionally for the Portland Thorns FC in the National Women's Soccer League, and previously played for FC Gold Pride and Western New York Flash in the Women's Professional Soccer (WPS). An Olympic bronze medalist and twelve-time recipient of the Canada Soccer Player of the Year award, Sinclair is Canada's all-time leading scorer and as of February 21, 2016 is first worldwide in all-time international goals scored.
KRISTINE LILLY is a retired American soccer player who last played professionally for Boston Breakers in Women's Professional Soccer (WPS). She was a member of the United States women's national soccer team for 23 years and is the most capped soccer player in the history of the sport (men's or women's.) Lilly scored 130 goals for the United States women's national team, behind Mia Hamm's 158 goals, and Abby Wambach's 184.
RAFAEL MOURA is a Série A Brazil star player at América Mineiro and the brother of Amanda Moura.
ABBY WAMBACH is a retired soccer player, coach, two-time Olympic gold medalist and FIFA Women's World Cup champion. A six-time winner of the U.S. Soccer Athlete of the Year award, Wambach was a regular on the U.S. women's national soccer team from 2003-2015 earning her first cap in 2001. As a forward, she currently stands as the highest all-time goal scorer for the national team and holds the world record for international goals for both female and male soccer players with 184 goals. Abby’s autobiography, Forward, released in September 2016, became a New York Times best seller.
WILSON EGIDIO is the former Brazilian professional player at Santos and is currently youth soccer Coach at Manhattan Soccer Club in NYC
PELÉ is an iconic figure in sports and one of the greatest football players of all time. He is also the father of three girls and has four granddaughters.
RODRIGO PAVIA is the former longtime Director of Communications for the Brazilian Futebol Federation.
ESTEFANIA BANINI is an Argentine football forward currently playing for American National Women's Soccer League club Washington Spirit. She previously spent four seasons with Colo-Colo of the Chilean women's football championship.
CORINTHIANS, the team of Sport Club Corinthians Paulista is known as “Todo Poderoso or the Almighty. It’s other nicknames include Timão (The Great Team) or Time do Povo (The People's Team.) The São Paulo club dates its history to 1910. Corinthians became a huge deal when its players Democracy Movement became a symbol ushering out the military dictatorship that governed Brazil from 1964-1985.
Today, Corinthians is a giant fraternity of crusaders from São Paulo that engulfs and unites football fans from exclusive gated communities to the poorest favelas. 30,000 cheered their heroes to the world title in 2012 in Japan; 35 million watched on TV. With legendary players, notorious fan clubs such as Gavioes da Fiel (Hawks of the Faithful), CORINTHIANS takes you inside a world of incomparable fan loyalty and a sports culture that informs the identity of millions.
In Northern Minnesota's Lakes Country sits Pelican Rapids, a factory town of 2,500 people, a four-hour drive north of Minneapolis. The town's nearly 50% non-white demographics are unique to every community around them, and so is the school housing the Pelican Rapids Vikings. The school is the smallest traditional public school in Minnesota with its own soccer program. Teacher and Head Soccer Coach John Peter wrote and produced WE ARE FROM PELICAN from film captured by Pelican Rapids high school students.
WE ARE FROM PELICAN is a series that takes on issues that matter: bi-cultural identity, community, racism, home, education, mental health, aspiration, survival, and success. From Ellio Productions, WE ARE FROM PELICAN is designed with age-appropriate discussion guides for parents, educators, and youth leaders to talk through the difficult topics in each episode.
