Director Virginie Verrier speaks on the fourth day of Thinking about the biopic of the great French football pioneer
The biopic ‘Marinette’, based on the autobiography “Ne jamais rien lâcher” (Never give up), about the great French soccer pioneer Marinette Pichon, was the star film of the fourth day of Thinking Football. It is a moving journey that traces the highlights of this extraordinary footballer, from her tough childhood (with an abusive father) to maturity (having become a soccer legend). As director Virginie Verrier pointed out in the discussion following the screening, Marinette’s struggle is the struggle of women’s soccer in France, “and it is a story that conveys hope”. There is no doubt that the film raises issues that go beyond the main character and concern society as a whole. “In Marinette’s biography there are a lot of very important and topical issues: equality in sport, sexual diversity, sisterhood, gender violence…” recalled the French director.
In this second session, the presence of Athletic Club’s first two women’s teams in the BBK Hall was a highlight. Along with the players and coaching staff of both teams, the screening was attended by Jose Angel Iribar, Ainhoa Tirapu, and Jon Ruigomez and Josetxu Urrutia on behalf of the Board of Directors.
Previously, at 18:00, the film ‘In the middle’, by Greg Crutwell, has been screened, who has participated in the subsequent colloquium. The British documentary is a wonderful tribute to the amateur referees, indispensable in non-professional soccer, and who make professional soccer possible. Young, old, male, female, transgender… referees who are people and who have lives and stories behind them. As one of the referees in the film says, “I think we are the ones who love the game the most.” The film’s director recalled that “referees, especially those in the lower ranks, do it with incredible integrity and generosity. With this film I wanted to honor them and thank them for their work”.
In the first afternoon session we showed ‘Another way: The Forest Green Rovers Story’, a British film directed by Bart Corpe that tells the story of the greenest football club in the world. Marcus Reynolds, CEO of the British club, sent a video thanking Athletic Club for including the documentary in the Thinking Football line-up.
