Annual Tribeca Festival Features A Hat Trick of Soccer Films

Among the many films at the prestigious Tribeca Film Festival are a trio of ones that focus on stories concerning the beautiful game.

The 17th annual Tribeca Film Festival, one of the biggest and most influential events in independent filmmaking, kicks off on Wednesday, and this year has a great offering for soccer fans. Between April 18-29, the event will host 16 sports films, from documentaries to narrative features, across New York City, and the themes and storylines are as diverse as they are intriguing.

In the soccer department there some intriguing films that catch the eye. There's Kaiser: The Greatest Footballer Never to Play Football, which is about Carlos "Kaiser" Henrique Raposo, an extroverted soccer player whose 26-year club career included some of Brazil's most famous teams—even though he never set foot on the pitch. And then there's Phenoms from Fox Sports, a series of documentaries which follow the journey of the great new breed of young talent and their quest to make an impression at this summer's World Cup. 

Here's a closer look at the soccer-specific offerings at the festival (You can check out the film guide for more information right here):

Home + Away

Tribeca Film Festival

A documentary about three Mexican student athletes who have to travel everyday from Ciudad Juarez, Mexico to Bowie High School in El Paso and fulfill their dreams in their respective sports for the chance of a better life. One of the main characters is Erik, a star soccer player who dreams of one day playing in a professional setting. This is an observational film, illustrating the reality of immigrant children who have to work through language, cultural and academic barriers in order to succeed. 

Kaiser: The Greatest Footballer Never to Play Football

Tribeca Film Festival

In Brazil in the ’80s, soccer stars were adored and attracted the admiration of clubs and fans. Among them was one of the biggest celebrities of his generation: Carlos "Kaiser" Henrique Raposo, nicknamed due to his resemblance to Franz Beckenbauer, played for for more than 10 clubs including Flamengo and Fluminense. There was just one problem: he never set a foot on a soccer pitch. Louis Myles brings to the screen one of the most incredible, fraudulent stories in the history of sports.   

Phenoms

Tribeca Film Festival

Produced by Fox Sports, this series follows the next batch of international talent and an intimate look of their training and lives as they work towards making an impact at this summer's World Cup. This particular episode focuses on goalkeepers (Russia's Aleksandr Selikhov, Gastón Guruceaga of Uruguay, England's Jack Butland, and Alphonse Areola of France) and after the film, there is a conversation with the producers and filmmakers of the project.