“...equal parts informative and eye-opening…” - Remezcla | “...putting human faces to the story of immigration in the United States…” - The Guardian
Soccer in Immigrant Communities • Social Justice & Inequity • Youth Organizing • Women Coaches • Youth Sports
Date of Completion: 2018 | Run Time: 40 minutes | Languages: English & Spanish | Captions: Yes | Includes: Transcript | Director & Producer: Jun Stinson | Editor: Jean Kawahara | Associate Producers: Jessica Ramirez & Alicia Vargas | Cinematography: Tijana Petrović & Roberto Daza
FUTBOLISTAS 4 LIFE takes you into the lives of two East Oakland high schoolers. One is a college hopeful and DACA applicant who’s navigating his immigration status, and the other is an American citizen facing the reality that her undocumented parents could be deported. These youth take solace in the game of soccer that lets them, if only for a moment, put their worries on the sidelines. The film features the fighting spirit of their coach Dania – a former professional soccer player and the daughter of political refugees from Chile. Dania uses her love for the game and her family’s own immigrant experience to connect with and empower her players. As an athlete and educator, Dania has been using her platform to speak out against injustices in her community and around the world, doing this work at a time when few others were, and as we’ve seen pro-athletes like Colin Kaepernick, members of the WNBA, Naomi Osaka and Megan Rapinoe risk their careers for in more recent years. FUTBOLISTAS 4 LIFE sheds light on the overwhelming stress experienced nationwide by immigrant youth living in communities with high rates of poverty and violence – communities increasingly in the crosshairs of harsh federal immigration policies.
Remezcla | Manuel Betancourt
“Futbolistas 4 Life is equal parts informative and eye-opening.”
The Guardians | Matthew Hall
“...putting human faces to the story of immigration in the United States…”
FILM FESTIVALS
San Francisco International Film Festival
San Diego Latino Film Festival
Sebastopol Documentary Film Festival
San Francisco Latino Film Festival
LA Asian Pacific Film Festival
Philadelphia Asian American Film Festival
Providence Latin American Film Festival
DC Shorts International Film Festival
Women Sports Film Festival