The Beautiful Game (2012)

A character-based feature documentary that portrays the transcendent power of soccer in modern Africa - a game that is helping to change the lives of individuals and communities across the continent. Players, fans, young, old, with or without a disability, male and female... millions of Africans' lives are wrapped up in the 'beautiful game'. Unlike anything else soccer brings fifty-four diverse countries into a common and passionate dialogue. And the results are tangible: when an African country does well at a competition, its national GDP rises, its exports go up, crime decreases, and political divides narrow. As Reverend Tutu shares in "The Beautiful Game": "soccer isn't like a religion in Africa. It is bigger than religion". The film interweaves a number of dynamic stories from six separate African countries: Kenya, Egypt, South Africa, Nigeria, Ghana, and Ivory Coast. Together these stories reveal how soccer can be an effective social and developmental tool; and how a game can play a crucial role in shaping a new future for Africa. We have threaded our stories together with stunning visuals and with insights from some of the most famous Africans. Soccer fan or not, The Beautiful Game will inspire and move you.