Pelada

The documentary is about the side of football that happens away from the pitch. Far from professional stadiums and bright lights there is another game. People play in alleys, side streets and on concrete courts. The rules are set there and then. Every country has its own word for it. In the United States it is called pick up soccer. In Trinidad it is known as taking a sweat. In England there is a phrase about having a kick about. In Brazil the word is pelada. In the dictionary the word means naked. That is, the game stripped down to its core. The crew of the film goes after that game. They travel country by country and step onto the ground. Different lives meet them everywhere they go. Playing becomes a door into those lives. Gwendolyn Oxenham and Luke Boughen take part in the ninety one minute documentary. It is an American production by four directors, among them Rebekah Fergusson and Ryan White, finished in 2010.