Did you know that the original football was a virgin’s head?
Back in 200 AD farmers would sacrifice a virgin and then fight to get her head back to their farm for the promise of a healthy crop.
Naturally.
As the game – and the players – evolved and gained in popularity, a leather ball replaced the chaste headpiece and the game spread through the British Isles as a kind of British Mardi Gras. Thousands of years later, this game, called Shrovetide, continues in Ashbourne, the entire town of which serves as the playing field.
1 game. 2 days. 3,000 players.
Wild in the Streets tells the story of this game and the people who’ve kept it alive for centuries.
And, starting April 23, you can participate – from the comfort of your living room via iTunes, Video On Demand, or even in the decadence of a proper theatre should you prefer it. (You have Gravitas Ventures to thank for the last two.)
Co-edited, co-executive produced and musically supervised by our very own Steve Prestemon, Sean Bean of Lord of the Rings and Game of Thrones narrates the documentary, Lance Acord directed photography, Peter Baxter directed the project, and Oasis, Duke Spirit and Mercury Review all make musical cameos.
Wild in the Streets screened at SlamDance last January alongside Neil Young and Stan Lee documentaries, as well as a lost Ed Wood piece called Final Curtain and has been featured on NPR, in the New York Times, Variety, The Hollywood Reporter, IndieWire and on ESPN.