High voltage soccer documentary seeks support
Power is a feature documentary that follows members of the U.S. Power Soccer team on their journey to the 2023 World Cup in Sydney, Australia.
Filmmaker Andrew Hida embedded himself into the team and gained intimate access to the athletes over the span of several years. The film appears to travel a unique path, exposing both amazing and mundane moments in the lives of world-class athletes who are often overlooked.
Power soccer was created in France in the 1970’s to allow students with significant physical disabilities to play soccer using their own powerchairs. The sport migrated to California and developed the roots of what would become the U.S. Power Soccer Association. Today, there are over 60 teams and 500 competitive players in the U.S.
The beautiful game with batteries is considered the first competitive team sport designed for powerchair users. Games are played 4v4 on a basketball court with minor rule modifications that help create space and encourage complex tactics and maneuvers.
Players use their joysticks to sprint, spin, and kick an oversized soccer ball using a guard that is attached to the front of their chair. The guards are small cages designed to protect the athletes‘ feet, similar to the grill on the front of a rancher’s pickup truck. But they also act like giant paddles allowing players to dribble, pass, and shoot just like anyone else. FIFA has the “Golden Boot” award. Power soccer has the “Golden Guard”.
The trailer for Power features hand-held footage from huddles, locker rooms, and homes of multiple players throughout the teams’ journey together. In the span of a two-minute teaser, we can already see characters who are brash, tender, and, yes, quite powerful. There are clear themes of love, friendship, and mortality at play.
The filmmakers often had 5-10 athletes mic’d up simultaneously to capture the banter and organic chemistry of the group. This perspective works to humanize the players and highlight their talents. An artistic statement on the project's website describes the conscious choice to contrast the athletic with the everyday — "While an athlete’s disability may become more apparent in the privacy of their home, their disability completely disappears in the movement of sport."
Power is currently in post-production and is seeking additional funding to help realize its full potential on screen. The ultimate goal is to serve as an impactful story that can help drive new recruitment and expansion of the sport.
