The Lawman

A history of Argentine football, from its origins in the nineteenth century to the victory of the Argentine national team in the 1986 World Cup. The film uses valuable archival footage.

A documentary of the German national soccer team’s 2006 World Cup experience that changed the face of modern Germany.

It is May 19th, 2001, the last gameday of the 2000/2001 Bundesliga season. A day which will go down in Bundesliga history as the most dramatic final. Ten years later, film director Judith Völker conducts her search for traces. She talks with players and decisionmakers, with celebrities and fans. Out of these memories, a moving review of the event, which is unforgettable (not only) for Schalke souls, is made.

In this feature-length sports documentary we follow the underdog club, Avacakdoes FC, through their second season of games following an embarrassing first showing. Can they redeem themselves or will they go another winless season in shame?

Welcome to a hard driving video about the biggest winners of all, the athletes and teams who broken records in their sports.

This utterly enjoyable and globe-spanning jaunt follows Canadian actor and comedian Jay Baruchel on an epic road trip through Canada, Ireland and Scotland with his new friend, well-known Irish soccer journalist Eoin O’Callaghan. It’s a story that stretches over 200 years of colorful history and that takes the duo eastward from Montreal to Westport, Ireland—where Jay’s ancestors set sail for Canada, like so many others—and finally Glasgow, where Jay will fulfill a lifelong dream: to watch a match at Celtic Park, one of the wildest and most hallowed grounds in world football.

Any given Sunday of 1974 in Spain, soccer games in several stadiums, the sarcastic voice of commentators, the inevitable presence of advertising. Goal! The victors and the defeated.

Four neighborhoods. Four churches. Four colors. Blue. Red. White. Green. A square. A ball. Two goals. Fifty minutes, there are no rules. During the third week of June, every year since 1580, four teams of twenty-seven men fight for victory in the arena of Santa Croce. Florence, June, 2013. Calcio storico fiorentino. The origin of football.

In the early 1980s, at the beginning of what would become a 12-year-long civil war, El Salvador's talented football team was one national institution upon which both the left and the right could agree. When the team pulled off a stunning 1-0 upset against Mexico and qualified to compete in the 1982 World Cup, it was a high point for the tiny country's national pride. Unfortunately, the team's Cinderella story devolved into a nightmarish farce.

A panorama of Brazilian popular music from the 60s and 70s through the musical group Novos Baianos. A retrospective of the community lifestyle adopted by its members and the influence inherited from singer João Gilberto.

Evangelical fundamental Christians used the 2006 World Cup in Germany for their missionary purposes: over 10,000 missionaries were deployed to spread the "Word of God", convert people and collect donations. The documentary aims to inspire reflection on the consequences of religious fanaticism, which, despite the missionaries' friendly demeanor, goes hand in hand with intolerance towards those who think differently. Free of verbiage, it hints at parallels between faith and fanaticism using purely visual means and cleverly intersperses basic information as animated infographics that shed light on the ideology of the evangelicals and how it is spread.

Many migrants live in search of a mirror in which to recognize themselves; they are not from here, but they are not from there either. Los Williams / The Williams, a feature-length documentary, familiar and sporting, told in first-person by Iñaki and Nico Williams. Two brothers, footballers, Basques and "beltzas" or black, of Ghanaian descent, reveal their incredible tale across the two most crucial years of their lives. From their historic participation in the Qatar World Cup with two different selections, to the long-awaited victory of the Athletic Club in the Copa del Rey after 40 years, and Nico's triumph at the European Championship. Two international stars, face to face with their past and their future, through the conflicts that have marked their lives: racism, identity, frustration, ambition, and success.

An inspirational story about the power of hope in the face of seemingly insurmountable odds, and an object lesson in what it really means to be a winner in life.

Plagued with poverty and violence, Jamaica tries to inspire its populace by qualifying their national team, the 'Reggae Boyz', for the World Cup. When their efforts start to fall short, Winnie Schäfer, a colorful German coach, teams up with reggae musicians to unite Jamaica beyond the soccer pitch.

Pablo has lost his house and is now living in his car. In this short film he tells us about how he relates to the world cup 2010.

Documentary about German football player Toni Kroos. Features a review of his recent career including his time at FC Bayern Munich and Real Madrid as well as his participation at FIFA Wold Cups 2014 and 2018.

David Asmmann's Football Under Cover documents the hard work involved in setting up an exhibition soccer match, known as a "friendly," between a German girls squad and Iranian women's team. In addition to showing how the two groups come from very different cultures, the documentary showcases what playing the game means to the members of both teams, and displays how passionate the fans of these two squads are.

How do seven young people, former street children from Romania, get to see the Pacific Ocean? On 1 December 2008, a Romanian national team participates for the first time in the Homeless World Cup in Melbourne, Australia. The film follows the team from the formation of the squad to the end of the championship. The young people are from Timisoara and Arad, runaway children who now live in abandoned houses or who have managed to get a job and live in rented accommodation after going through orphanages or prisons. After taking a beating from many teams, the young Romanians manage to beat the USA. They are happy. They are all thinking of never going "home" again. It's warm and nice here, the people are nice. "In case I stay, I kissed you all!" says one of them cautiously. But after taking pictures of themselves on the beach with the ocean behind them and beautiful girls by their side, the seven return to Romania and get on with their lives.

With unprecedented access, goalkeeper Mary Earps offers a fascinating insight into her rollercoaster journey to the pinnacle of her sport and how she became a role model for the next generation.

Frei:Gespielt - Mehmet Scholl - Über das Spiel hinaus