Ted Leonsis Movies
Filmmaker Bill Guttentag takes a closer look at the atrocities committed by the Japanese after Nanking fell to the Imperial Japanese Army in 1937 with this documentary that was inspired by Iris Chang's novel The Rape of Nanking. Compiled from over 700 hours of footage including news-reel footage, interviews with survivors and soldiers, and staged readings, Nanking was financed in large by millionaire Ted Leonsis, who had read Chang's obituary and subsequently been prompted to read the author's best-selling account of the massacre. ~ Jason Buchanan, All Movie Guide
- Starring:
- Hugo Armstrong, Rosalind Chao, (more)
- 2007
In 2001, a pair of South African journalists and activists who were also serious soccer fans came up with an idea to help the world's homeless. They created a Homeless World Cup, in which teams of street soccer players from across the globe were organized into national teams and given the chance to compete as a way of putting a human face on issues of economic justice, as well as giving street people a chance to show their talents to the world. The first Homeless World Cup tournament was held in 2003, and since then tens of thousands of players from 48 nations have taken part in the games, with over 70 percent of the athletes reporting they've been able to leave homelessness behind after competing in the tournament. Documentary filmmaker Susan Koch offers a close-up look at the Fifth Homeless World Cup competition in Capetown, South Africa, in the documentary Kicking It, which focuses on six footballers from Ireland, Spain, Kenya, Russia, Iraq, and the United States as they look back at their chaotic lives and how sports have given them the chance to improve their lot. Narrated by Colin Farrell, Kicking It received its North American premiere at the 2008 Sundance Film Festival. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide
