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Screening of Short Plays, Short Films about Soccer Fever

Short Plays (2014), a series of short films about soccer, was shown during the 12^th Morelia International Film Festival at the Cinépolis Morelia Centro.

Short Plays is comprised of 32 short films by filmmakers from all over the world, including Mexican directors Fernando Eimbcke, Carlos Reygadas and Felipe Gómez Torres, U.S direct Vincent Gallo, English director Duane Hopkins and German director Doris Dörrie.

The creator of the project was Mexican director Daniel Gruener, who was responsible for bringing together directors from countries like Brazil, Portugal, Morocco, Thailand, Norway, Russia, Spain, Colombia, Italy, Japan, South Korea, Panama, Palestine, Chile, Uruguay, Ecuador, Croatia, Belgium, Bolivia, Eritrea and Argentina.

The project emerged before the World Cup that was held in Brazil in 2014, with the objective of compiling the way in which the sport, considered the most popular in the world, is experienced in different cultures.

With complete freedom to address the theme, the short films, lasting one to five minutes, had only one requirement: that the dialogues be brief so that the viewers, regardless of their nationality, could identify with a kind of universal language, with the passion that soccer provokes.

Daniel Gruener, Fernando Eimbcke and Carlos Reygadas, who attend the screening, commented:

Daniel Gruener on Short Plays:

“This work is basically a world of cinema. The idea was to bring together 32 directors, each representing their country, and to make a metaphor for what soccer is. I served as the director of the team, and the idea was to give the directors maximum freedom so that interesting offerings would emerge.”

Fernando Eimbcke on Short Plays:

“There was total freedom to work, and when they call you for a project where you can create freely you can’t say no. I’m not a soccer fan, but the idea seemed so good that I felt compelled to say something.”

Daniel Gruener on choosing the directors:

“We tried to contact the most representative directors of each country. Those who participated are not beginners, they are people who already have a remarkable career and who took the project very seriously. I think you can see that in the quality in the film. Each director, corresponding to a particular culture, contributed a lot, and that is what we wanted – the theme was the same, but the subjects different.”

Daniel Gruener, winner of the Best Director award at the Cartagena International Film Festival, for his film Sobrenatural (1996), is also known for his work in theater projects and opera productions. Fernando Eimbcke, one of the main directors of Mexican contemporary cinema, won 11 Ariels, including Best Picture and Best Director, for his film Temporada de patos / Duck Season (2004). Carlos Reygadas won the Best Director Award at the 65^th Cannes Film Festival for his film Post Tenebras Lux / Light After Darkness (2012), his second award at that festival, having already received the Jury Award for Luz silenciosa / Silent Light (2007).

Coverage by Jaime Garba (@jaimegarba)