From Captains of Za'atari to Kicking It: How Soccer on Celluloid Can Inspire Lives

[Editor's note: This piece was originally published on December 14, 2022 during the World Cup. Today we're resharing it to celebrate National Soccer Day. Lace up your cleats!]

By Shahnaz Mahmud

Goaaaallll! This word is echoing across the world as the 2022 FIFA World Cup is fully underway. Every four years we are reminded of just how powerful football - or soccer as we call it in the U.S. - is. This is a sport that binds people together in the most exuberant of ways. It's the bars, the screens in squares, the television sets at work (the missed days at work, for that matter) that bring people together all with one common purpose: to celebrate the joy of life through soccer.

But, the sport can represent a beacon of hope for those who find themselves in the most dire of circumstances as well. Film is an important medium to demonstrate this unwavering belief. Over the years soccer documentaries have shined a lot on human struggle, and indeed how the sport has the ability to inspire generations. There's 2018's Not Just Football: From Genocide to the World Cup. The feature tells the story of Darfur United, an all-refugee men's soccer team from the Chad-Sudan border and their miraculous journey playing on the international stage at the 2012 Viva World Cup in Iraq.

There's also One, The Story of a Goal from 2010. The documentary follows the journey of the El Salvadoran national team to the 1982 World Cup after a stunning 1-0 victory against Mexico during a qualifying match. Now, history tells us that El Salvador's loss to Hungary - a stunning 10-1 - remains as the worst defeat ever for a World Cup. And yet, it was a story of hope for a country gripped by a bloody civil war. When the team recorded its win against Mexico, it united the nation-at least for a day. And although El Salvador publicly suffered on the pitch in its devastating match-up against Hungary, the one goal it scored remains as a symbol of pride for the country. Win or lose, the team had the courage to try amid all of the turmoil it had to endure at home.

This transformative power is found in two documentary films that premiered at the Sundance Film Festival. Both Captains of Za'atari and Kicking It follow the lives of men and boys who embody this underdog spirit. Each of these films demonstrate the power of determination to overcome the odds. And, further, how soccer can transform lives for the better.

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