Dogwoof has today announce the official UK theatrical release date of Rachel Ramsay and James Erskine’s (Le Mans: Racing is Everything, Sachin: A Billion Dreams) inspiring documentary Copa 71.
Shedding light on the history of women’s sport and the injustices women were subjected to, Copa 71 combines archival footage and new interviews to tell the story of the unofficial 1971 Women’s World Cup, a moment virtually erased from the history of soccer.
The documentary takes its audience back to August 1971 when football teams from England, Argentina, Mexico, France, Denmark, and Italy gathered at Mexico City’s sun-drenched Azteca Stadium. The scale of the tournament is monumental: lavish sponsorship, extensive TV coverage, merchandise on every street corner, and crowds of over 100,000 roaring fans turn this historic stadium into a cauldron of noise match after match. A fawning media treat the players like rock stars. The atmosphere is reminiscent of the greatest moments in international football history. But this is a tournament unlike anything that’s happened before. The players on the pitch are all women. And it’s likely you’ve never even heard of it. This is Copa ‘71, the unofficial Women’s World Cup. Dismissed by both the governing body and domestic football associations around the world, this event had been sidelined in history. Until now.
The film is executive produced by Serena Williams and Venus Williams and Alex Morgan.
For decades, these women were rarely able to speak out about their experiences. However, they will finally have a voice to recount the battles they faced on and off the pitch when Copa 71 opens in cinemas across the UK from 8 March.
