Kick Like A Girl - Jenny Mackenzie Films

Press Kit
Kick Like A Girl
A documentary film about hopes, dreams, and possibilities
by
Jenny Mackenzie
For more information please contact
Jenny Mackenzie 801.554.6489
www.kicklikeagirlmovie.com
Presented by Impact Parters and Chicken &Egg Pictures
50 word Synopsis:
Kick Like A Girl is the story of what happens when “The Mighty Cheetahs,” an undefeated all-girls soccer
team, competes in the boys division. With humor and candor this documentary gets at the heart of the boy-girl
issues and explores what "Kick Like A Girl" really means on and off the playing field. Refreshing and triumphant Kick Like A Girl reminds us all of the lessons learned in competitive athletics and how sports has been
one of the most effective instruments of social change in our lifetime.
Full Synopsis and treatment
Kick Like A Girl is the story of what happens when “The Mighty Cheetahs”, a third grade all girls
soccer team competes in the boys division. With humor and honesty this documentary reveals the
reality of the boy-girl issues and what "Kick Like A Girl" really means on and off the playing field.
From the titles onward, Kick Like A Girl moves at a quick, exciting pace. The film introduces you to
several of the Mighty Cheetahs as the girls talk about what soccer and being a part of a team does for
them. The film is narrated by 8 year old Lizzie, a self described soccer girl, who doesn't let juvenile
diabetes, elbow blocks or grass stains interfere with her desire to compete.
This theme of Kick Like A Girl and what it means is repeated in the film’s narrative. Throughout the
film, the Mighty Cheetahs deliver the back-story. They came into the competition against the boys
after having two undefeated seasons against girls. The first year they played girls their own age.
Then they upped the level of competition by entering the division with girls who were 1-2 years
older.
The film brings you into the heat of a tough battle as the Mighty Cheetahs play against a boy’s team.
The girls and the boys tackle the soccer ball in nose-to-nose plays. The boys score. The girls score.
The girls get a break away and score again. In this opening sequence we cut to the girls and hear
how ‘special’ they feel being able to be in the boys division. They talk about the disrespectful way
in which “kick like a girl”, and “throw like a girl” is used as an insult. The hope is that “one day
‘kick like a girl’ will be a seen as a compliment”.
The central story is of good athletic competition being constantly pursued, by a team and a coach
that created limitless possibilities. After seeing The Mighty Cheetahs come into the boys division
undefeated against other girls teams, the audience is won over by the team and they invariably root
for the girls since they are now seen as the “underdogs”.
The story builds to an exciting climax with the crowds cheering as the girls come through with a win
in their first game. The audience will leave wondering whether or not girls’ playing in a boys division is the right way to promote athletic equality; and how to make these challenging decisions. The
soundtrack includes an inspirational score by Michael Sasich and Andele that compliments the exciting pace of the film and the humor and honesty that the children bring to the screen.
From the medical literature, we know that prior to approximately 12 years of age, there are virtually
no sex-related differences in physiological abilities or performance between girls and boys. Differences at this time are primarily the result of training opportunities, exposure, and skill development.
As Dr Dan Freigang states in the film, we encourage boys to take more risks in life, and we protect
girls more. After title IX passed in 1972, allowing young women to compete for athletic scholarships once open only to young men, the number of girls participating in high school sports increased
dramatically. We know that opportunity, access, encouragement, and exposure are critical for children to grow and develop in the classroom as well as on the playing field. Allowing girls to reach
their potential requires us to challenge sex role expectations.
Kick Like A Girl is a combination of compelling sports photography, live soccer game footage, and
cinema veritae moments. Intimate interviews bring to life the reality that these girls and boys experi-
ence as they meet on the playing field. Refreshing and triumphant Kick Like a Girl reminds us all
of the lessons learned in competitive athletics and how sports has been one of the most effective instruments of social change in our lifetime.
Creative Team Bios:
Jenny Mackenzie, Ph.D., L.C.S.W. , holds a bachelors degree from
Brown University, an MSW from Simmons College, and a Ph.D. from
the University of Utah. After a 20-year career working as a clinician,
researcher, and developing programs for non-profit organizations that
focused on the empowerment of women and girls, she went back to film
school to pursue one of her life long passions- documentary filmmaking.
Jenny feels that documentary film is the perfect way to reach wide audiences and help to create necessary social change. Jenny’s first film,
“Where’s Herbie?” is an award-winning portrait of a 91-year-old working lobsterman who shares his philosophy on life, death, and the risks of
retirement. As a volunteer in her home community, Jenny has been
coaching girls in a variety of sports for over 10 years. Her primary drive
as a volunteer coach is to be a role model for her own daughters as well
as other girls both on and off the playing feels. As Mackenzie explained, "We learn by watching and modeling others, and girls need to
have women as their role models in all aspects of their
lives." Mackenzie became the Mighty Cheetah’s volunteer coach (from Kick Like A Girl) when they
started playing soccer together in the first grade. After coaching her older daughter’s soccer team,
she knew how to motivate and inspire a group of young girls. When the Cheetahs entered the boys
division, Dr. Mackenzie was in film school, and thought, “this is a pretty compelling little story”.
So, she started shooting some of the games. Through the girls’ experience over the three years as
their coach she says, "it became clear that giving them the opportunity to find the competition they
deserved, and allowing them to excel (not just participate) athletically is something that is impacting
their lives on many different levels."
Geralyn White Dreyfous, executive producer is the Academy Award-winning executive producer
of Born into Brothels. In 1994, she established the center for Community Service and Documentary
Studies with Dr. Robert Coles at Harvard University, work that was a precursor the ground-breaking
Center for Documentary Studies at Duke, and which birthed the acclaimed magazine Doubletake. In
2002 she and Nicole Guillemet founded The Salt Lake Film Center, where she currently serves as its
Executive and Artistic Director. She has produced a documentary of the child sex salve trade narrated by Tim Robbins called The Day My God Died, which was broadcast on PBS and distributed by
Tapesty.
Jennifer Jordan, writer, co-producer wrote, and produced Women of K2 for National Geographic
Channel which won five major film festivals and authored Savage Summit: The Life and Death of
the First Women of K2 (William Morrow, January 2005) which received the coveted "Editors'
Choice" distinction from the New York Times Book Review as well as the National Outdoor Book
Award. She is also the author of several children’s books which follow the antics of Harry, the
Happy Dog. Jordan spent the better part of the 1990’s at WGBH FM in Boston where she anchored
National Public Radio’s All Things Considered. She also worked with the acclaimed WGBH Channel 2, public television’s most prolific production house, as an on air talent, news segment producer,
researcher and writer.
Christine Siegel Elder, editor, has had work shown on the Discovery Channel, and multiple public
television stations. She worked for 5 years as an editor for WGBH in Boston on Zoom, and edited
Native Corn, a film that won best short at the New England Film Festival in 1999.
Official 2008 Selection
AFI Silverdocs
Santa Barbara International Film Festival
Newport International Film Festival
Mill Valley International Film Festival
San Francisco Bay Area Children’s Film Festival
Buffalo-Niagara International Film Festival
Women and Creativity Film Festival
Newport Beach International film Festival
Calgary International Film Festival
Charlotte International Film Festival
Rocky Mountain Women’s Film Festival
Canadian Sports Film Festival
Athens International Film Festival
Martha’s Vineyard Independent Film Festival
Maine International Film Festival, Fireflies
Baltimore Women’s Film Festival
Foursite International Film Festival
Palm Beach International Film Festival
International Women’s Film Festival of Florida
Danville Children’s Film Festival
Kid’s First International Film Festival
Colorado Indie Spirit Film Festival
Northern Lights Film Festival
Broadcast Distribution:
We are thrilled to announce that Kick Like A Girl will have it’s broadcast premier on
HBO in the Spring of 2009.
Praise:
"Kick Like a Girl is a beautiful film, with an inspirational message"
- Davis Guggenheim, Academy Award Winning Director
"A story like Kick Like A Girl can only open doors for other young people. Title IX has done so
much but we are still fighting battles just to get girls the same opportunities on the playing fields.
Kick Like a Girl shows that when girls that are given an opportunity to play, they feel better
about themselves, and believe they can do anything. Isn't that what we want for children, to be
able to dream and believe they can be anything they want if only given the chance?”
- Kristine Lilly, Captain US World Cup Soccer Team
Awards:
Best Documentary Short Nomination, 2008 International Documentary Association
Awards
Best Documentary, 2008 Danville International Children’s Film Festival
Audience Award, Best Children’s Short , 2008 Newport International Film Festival
2008 Utah Short Film Of The Year, Utah Arts Festival, Salt Lake Film Center
"Billie" (Jean King) Award Nomination 2008 through the Women’s Sports Foundation for the positive portrayal of women and girls in the media
Press:
The Salt Lake Tribune 2/9/08
"The documentary 'Kick Like a Girl' is one of the most entertaining short films I've seen ... It
ought to be required watching for anyone involved in youth soccer, especially parents" -Lya Wodraska, sports coloumnist
The Salt Lake Tribune (02/18/08)
Moviemaking mom goes for the goal in 'Kick Like a Girl" http://www.sltrib.com//ci_8293558
The Deseret News (2/28/08)
http://www.deseretnews.com/article/1,5143,695257181,00.html
Girls get a Kick Out of film success, documentary shows their prowess at defeating boys.
RadioWest NPR conversation on “Kicks Like a Girl.” 2/25/08
http://stream.publicbroadcasting.net/production/mp3/kuer/local-kuer-679837.mp3 It will remain there for about 3
months.
ABC News Now (Kristi Berner, Alexa Posniak Producers): March 4, 2008 11 a.m. EST
http://abcnews.go.com/search?searchtext=kick%20like%20a%20girl&type=