This article was published on News-n-Views
With great pride, Santa Margarita Catholic High School will be hosting a sneak peak of the upcoming soccer documentary entitled Pelada, following one of its own alumni as he and a friend travel the world for the love of the game. The screening is this Saturday, April 17, at 7 p.m. in the Mioso Pavilian on campus.
The story records the life of SMCHS graduate Luke as he ventures with his friend Gwendolyn while they travel through twenty-five countries in search of pick-up games. From the solid prison walls of Bolivia to the moonshine brewers of Kenya, the perspectives of the game are true. The creativity of freestyle players in China and the women in hijab in Iran grace the scenes of this film.
The streets and fields may vary, but the passion of the game remains. Pelada is more than a movie; it is the story of people who play. SMCHS graduate and star of the film, Luke Boughen, speaks to the RSM community saying, “I’m very excited to screen our film back at the school where my soccer days began.”
Up to this point in production, funding has been generated primarily from the team’s grassroots efforts and personal connections. Social networking has again triumphed in modern communication with over 3500 members of the film’s facebook group donating a simple $25 gift. Other sources have been generously provided by way of scholastic grants and anonymous paypal donations from kind strangers.
The final field length it will take to run and make the goal of complete funding to finish the film is extended to the Santa Margarita community. By coming to view the preview of the documentary, it will kick the finishing touches into high gear. The show begins at 7 p.m. at the SMCHS Moiso Pavilion on April 17. Tickets will be available at the door for a donation of $10 and is a small price to pay for the incredible cultural experience given by the film.
Grant Wahl from Sports Illustrated wrote about the film describing it to be “a marvelous new soccer documentary…what elevates Pelada from a cute highlight travelogue to something more resonant is the filmmakers’ ability to find compelling stories and earn the trust of their interview subjects…the result is a film that combines eye-popping cinematography with human stories.”
