|
Any
football fan will tell you that the beautiful game isn't a matter
of life or death - it's far more important than that.
 |
| Does
God Play Football?, a short film set in the 1960s, was filmed
in Wentworth village. |
Spirituality
and soccer come together in the story of a seven-year-old Sheffield
United fan, which premieres at the Showcomotion Children's Film
Festival.
Does
God Play Football was filmed in Wentworth, a South Yorkshire village
set in the countryside between Rotherham and Barnsley.
Tommy,
played by Michael De Burca, is growing up without a father in the
mid 1960s, which makes him very much an alien in village life.
"It's
about how he fills in the emotional gaps in his life," explains
writer and director Mike Walker.
"God
is dad for him. But football is like an alternative religion."
 |
| Tommy
and the priest in the countryside near Wentworth. |
The
ten minute film explores spirituality through a child's eyes and
blurs the line between fantasy and reality.
Tommy
prays for a father and a real dad is delivered, in the shape of
a local Catholic priest, played by Kevin McKidd.
The
idea for the film came to Walker when he witnessed a child's reaction
to a religious building.
"I
was visiting a church and I saw this kid with wonder in his eyes."
said Walker.
Wentworth
was chosen because the director wanted to reflect the contrast of
a large town on the edge of countryside - Sheffield and South Yorkshire
fitted the bill.
 |
| Heavens
above: Tommy wears a 1960s style Blades kit. |
Young
Blades in the audience may find themselves in football heaven -
their young hero is kitted out in a period Sheffield United strip,
recreated with the help of the club's museum.
But
there is a rather prosaic reason for the choice of Tommy's beloved
football club.
"It's
got a good colour stripe," explains Walker "red, white
and green work well visually."
Does
God Play Football? Showing at the Showcomotion Opening Night Gala
on Friday 4 July at the Showroom Cinema, Sheffield.
You
can nominate your favourite spiritual place between 6 July and 16
July 2003 by
|
