The documentary The Holy Game is out now on VOD streaming platforms around the world, including Apple, Amazon, Vimeo, YouTube, and more. It is out on Crave TV in Canada.
K+S organized a virtual premiere and had the privilege of talking to directors Brent Hodge and Chris Kelly about their fascinating film that tells the story of the Clericus Cup, the so-called World Cup for priests played annually at the Vatican.
The Holy Game is one of the most unique soccer films we’ve ever seen.
On the surface, it is about “The Clericus Cup,” an annual soccer tournament played at the Vatican that sees clergymen and seminarians compete in what one character in the film calls “the World Cup for priests.”
The film goes behind the scenes with the young seminarians and priests who represent their countries to play in the tournament.
But The Holy Game, which is directed by Brent Hodge and Chris Kelly, is about more than young priests playing soccer.
The film uses the tournament as a jumping off point to explore why young men choose to go into the church in a time when the Catholic Church is riddled with scandals and a life of religion and celibacy seems so anachronistic.
On Monday, June 28, we will host a virtual screening premiere for The Holy Game, ahead of the film’s broader release across VOD streaming platforms the following day.
At 8pm ET, we will do a live Q&A with the directors.
Tickets are free with registration.
Just in time for Lionel Messi’s birthday (June 24), the inspiring short film Messi & Me is being released across major VOD streaming platforms. The 30-minute documentary that wowed audiences at K+S New York 2018 can now be streamed on Apple TV, Prime Video, Google Play, Xbox, and KickingandScreening.com.
K+S is partnered with Giant Interactive on the VOD distribution.
Messi & Me tells the story of Matt Eliason, a former standout college soccer player at Northwestern University. In the summer of 2013, he was a regular guy living and working in Chicago. Undrafted by Major League Soccer, he had largely moved on from the game.
Then he got invited to play in a nationally televised exhibition match featuring global icon Lionel Messi and many other world soccer stars.
What happened on that day at Chicago’s Soldier Field is the stuff of Hollywood. Eliason scored a stunning bicycle-kick goal that stole the show.
Messi & Me is the story of what happened next, as Eliason decided to try one last time to make his pro soccer dreams come true. He gave up the 9-to-5 life, got back into playing shape, and signed with a club in Iceland.
“Messi & Me is the kind of film that thrills soccer fans and non-soccer fans alike – everyone dreams of their ‘Messi & Me’ moment,” says Kicking + Screening’s Rachel Markus. “Which is why we are thrilled to be helping it find an audience. Matt’s moment with Messi will go down in history, but it’s his afterstory that deserves to be remembered. He chased his dream! Hopefully, this film will inspire others to do that, too.”
Messi & Me is directed by Renny Maslow and produced by Jake Abraham, with executive producers Tim Lenahan (longtime head coach of Northwestern’s men’s soccer team) and Gregg Latterman.
Two very different films are now available in the Screening Room. One is an underdog story about a small club from the Bahamas, and the other is a deep exploration of what makes strikers so brilliant, devastating, and quirky. Enjoy!
A short documentary about a rag-tag group of soccer players who became the first team to represent the Bahamas on an international stage.
This short documentary from British footy mag FourFourTwo explores the psychology and the artistry of the goalscorer. Features interviews with Jermain Defoe, Romelu Lukaku, Michael Owen, Matt Le Tissier, Martin Keown, Ledley King, and many more.
The summer of #soccerfilms is upon us.
Later this month, a busy schedule of K+S soccer film events will kick off. We couldn’t be more excited.
Here’s the upcoming calendar of events:
June 24: The re-release of Messi & Me (on the GOAT’s birthday, no less!), as the short film that wowed audiences at K+S New York 2018 will become available across all the major VOD streaming platforms. (TRAILER)
June 28: Virtual premiere of the The Holy Game, a documentary about the annual international tournament played among the priests and seminarians at the Vatican City. Plus live Q&A with director Brent Hodge. (TRAILER)
July 8: Special screening of Playing for Peace in partnership with Women in Soccer and America SCORES. Plus live Q&A with director Arielle Sabol Thomas. (TRAILER)
July 29: Hybrid in-person/virtual event at Westport Library in Westport, CT. Screening of the film Men of Hope, about a German coach’s efforts to lead the Afghanistan national team. Plus live panel discussion. (TRAILER)
August 10: Virtual North American premiere of Casuals, a documentary about the “casuals” terrace fashion championed by British footy fans in the 1980s. Plus live panel discussion. (TRAILER)
We’ll have more information on all of these events, including ticket sales information and ancillary programming, in the near future. Stay tuned.
