Antonio Gargiulo is the president of Afro-Napoli, a spirited soccer team of second-generation Italians and immigrants from Africa and South America. Antonio has a dream: for his guys to play in the federal soccer championships. He would do anything to enroll his team in the Third League and coach them to a win. But players Lello, Maxime, and Adam lack identity documents, which are required if they are going to play, as the bureaucratic machine stalls in delivering their certificates of residence. Documentary filmmaker Pierfrancesco Li Donni constructs his story around these dynamic players and also the city of Naples—its language, its sounds, and its rhythms. The characters entrust themselves completely to the gaze of the camera, which allows Li Donni to bring their lives into sharp relief. He masterfully blends the players’ private lives—bound by the unsustainable condition of their stateless person status—with their collective experiences on the field, where the squad comes face to face with reality.
Afro-Napoli United energetically follows the gruff, tenacious coach and his determined players in their quest for victory on and off of the field. Winner of the 2015 Festival dei Popoli’s Cinemaitaliano. Info – CG Entertainment Award.
Copresented by the San Francisco Soccer Football League