Film Synopsis

 

Story:

Ana's Playground™ is a short film about a rag-tag group of children in an unidentified, war-torn country who are playing soccer while listening to a professional match. When their ball flies out of reach, our hero Ana is unexpectedly forced into a dangerous game of cat and mouse with a sniper. As the contest on the radio heats up, Ana, her friends, and the sniper all listen intently to the broadcast. In a fleeting moment, Ana forges a connection with her enemy - a mutual respect born in the recognition of worthy adversaries. However, the shared moment passes and the no man's land swallows them up once again, with soccer, and sport in general, representing what's left of their receding youth. The story focuses on the moment a child is forced to choose between ideology and humanity, and how the world often responds to that choice.

Ana's Playground avoids political or regional stereotypes. Its focus is on the effects of violence on children, rather than on the political or racial differences of a particular conflict.

The film has been awarded top honors at 4 qualifying festivals of The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences and has been short listed for an Academy Award® Nomination.

Beyond the Short Film:

This short film is actually a single piece to a larger feature film and fictional novel project. The 'Ana's Playground' feature screenplay is an anthology of five stories centered around children living with violence. Each story unfolds in a multi-plot format and intersects at major plot points to create one complete narrative. This structure and aesthetic is similar to films such as 'Babel', 'Traffic', and 'Crash'. Each story follows a specific child involved in various conflicts. These stories are then connected through the journey of three central characters on intersecting paths. These central protagonists include; a bold and endearing American widow on a quest into a war zone to find her adoptive child, Ana; A contentious English photojournalist documenting child soldier indoctrination in Central Africa; And a cynical philanthropist as he inspects a child recovery center to determine its needs for his financial endowment.

Stories of the three central protagonists culminate in a final dramatic crescendo that explores how we are all connected to, and affected by children living in violence and injustice, and how all children share a resilient desire for connection and love. We are left with a bittersweet catharsis that offers both desperation and hope, beauty and brutality. The feature film screenplay has placed as a top 20 finalist in FADE IN MAGAZINE, FINAL DRAFT, and SCRIPTAPALOOZA screenwriting contests and is also being shared with publishers for conversion into a fictional novel.

 

"It would be enough if this story only sensitized viewers to the punishing reality of violence that children and youth regularly confront throughout the world . . . but Ana's Playground expertly and movingly does much more: It instructs on their courage and resourcefulness, strengths that are poised to be used elsewhere in their lives - and will be by those fortunate enough to survive the senseless catastrophe of war."

Brian K. Barber
Director, Center for the Study of Youth and Political Violence
The University of Tennessee

 

Ana's Playground offers insight into the world of primal relationships and danger in which our children live. The gift of the film to the youth is the euphoric experience of being understood. For the elders, the gift is the prophetic message that if our youth our going to survive, we need to set aside our judgment of who they are, and listen and learn about the dangerous world in which they live. Ana's Playground presents a powerful opportunity to begin the conversation.

Louise Wolfgramm, President
Amicus
Minneapolis, Minnesota

 

The Role of Soccer (Football):

Perhaps the most international of all sports, soccer (football) is a sign of the inherent connections between most of the world's citizens. It also represents a major tool utilized directly in the rehabilitation and recovery of child soldiers. Soccer helps former combatants work through their aggression in a positive setting. The play helps them to reconnect to their childhood and to civilian life. It also provides a safe place for them to talk about their experiences on the battlefield.

This film is intended to serve as an advocacy tool for organizations such as RIGHT TO PLAY who use sport as a tool for social change and education.

UPDATE - ANA'S PLAYGROUND & MAZAMBA HAVE MADE A SHIPMENT OF SOCCER EQUIPMENT TO WAR AFFECTED KIDS LIVING IN IRAQ! READ MORE HERE!