The Beautiful Game...

...a Kickstarter funding project that needs your help.

'The Beautiful game' is a documentary film giving an insight into the lives of the City Lads Ladies football team in South Africa. It highlights the abuse and discrimination these women face just to play the game they love. The game that they say "promotes self-worth and confidence among young girls as well as educating men and women throughout the country on women's rights, gender based violence and hate crimes."

Danny Turken, the film director, is an internationally acclaimed documentary filmmaker. Upon meeting the players from City Lads Ladies, she knew she had to make this film to tell their incredible stories and seek support from further afield. The film focuses on the lives of five players-Nowie, Ngwenya, Shuffle, Amy and Chika. These women are the same as many across the world, including you and me. They've spent their childhoods playing the game and growing up to love football as a sport which unites players from every background. However, unlike many of us reading this, not only have they undergone the common sexist stereotyping that surrounds the game, they've had to endure physical abuse, poverty and rape.

These women truly believe that football can help deter women from negative lifestyles and give them something to focus on and enjoy. They are local heroes who are trying to make a difference in other people's lives as well as their own. A lot of women football players have been killed and told: "We'll show you that you are a woman." They risk their lives to play because football is their escape from the daily hardships they face. They receive little financial and emotional support from their country and are criticized for promoting football to young girls as it "turns women into lesbians". Despite these issues, the main theme throughout the film focuses on the pure and simple love for football and it's ability to change the lifestyles and perception of women throughout the world.

View the film trailer here:

The film has taken Danny and her team 11 months to make and as part of the Kickstart campaign, they need to raise $75,000 by 12th November 2013 to fund editing and post production. Kickstart is an all or nothing campaign which means they have to raise the minimum amount to help tell this incredible story. As Danny states in the film: "The Beautiful Game is not just a film or exhilarating documentary, it's a catalyst for motivating social change."

My favourite piece of the trailer was so simple, yet so inspiring:

"When you're doing something that you actually love, it doesn't feel like a sport you know. It's for the passion, it's the passion that drives."

Visit the below sites for more informing on this truly amazing story:

http://thebeautifulgamefilm.org/

http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/1857899692/the-beautiful-game?ref=live