Cinema Retro continues its tradition of helping to publicize worthy independent films. This one really caught our attention, as we imagination it will for anyone who has wasted considerable hours playing foosball without incurring a hint of guilt. Here is the official press release:
It’s one of the world’s most
popular pastimes. You might know it as “table soccer†or
“baby foot†or just simply “foosball.†It’s a decades-Ââ€old,
soccer inspired tabletop game where plastic men
have been fashioned to metal poles
and players must score the ball
in the opposing team’s goal. Simple, right?
Not quite. For the
compulsively obsessed who play foosball
at a professional level, foosball is more like a high-Ââ€speed chess match set inside a boxing
ring. Players are put to the test as they dial in highly mathematical moves
in a battle of strength,
endurance, and wit. Foosball originated in Europe around the turn of the
century, and was brought to the United States in the early 60swhereit
became an instant hit at game
rooms and bars across the country.
As its popularity soared, the game blossomed
into a professional sport.By the mid-Ââ€70s, players could win sports cars and big purses as
they traveled around the country as part of
Tournament Soccer’s
Million Dollar Pro Tour. But
thanks to the video game craze of the early
80s, the foosball market crashed and the
professional foosball scene
has never been the same.
The
current pro tour is a mere copy of a copy
of what it used to be. The turnouts are low, and the payouts are even lower. But for those
who still play the game, the stakes are higher than ever
before. The players today
don’t compete for money or fame. They
compete for the prestige and
honor of being crowned a world champion. Following
the top players from around the United States, Foosballer stakes
a deep dive into the underground circuit
of professional foosball. Not
only will audiences learn how to play
the game (and finally put the ‘can
you spin the rods?’ question to rest), they will get to meet the quirky and passionate players as they prepare for the sport’s biggest event: The Tornado World Championships.
For the first time ever, Foosballers
will finally put a human face to those tiny pieces of plastic.
"Foosballers" will open in select theaters on February 11 and will be available on iTunes on February 13.