The UNC School of Social Work is among the sponsors of LIVESCORE, an event that includes the UNC premiere of the feature length documentary film “Without a Fight,” on Thursday, November 1, 5:30-8:30 p.m., at Memorial Hall.
This will be a particularly special screening as Phil and Brad Cook of the Durham-based national touring band Megafaun will provide live accompaniment of their original score.
“Without a Fight” is a visualization of the impact of the Carolina for Kibera sports program, a non-profit co-founded by UNC alum Rye Barcott ‘01. The film follows the personal lives of Nicholas and Adan as their soccer teams prepare to meet in the title match of the Kibera Champions League. In this slum rife with ethnic tensions, unemployment, and crushing poverty, CFK’s Champions League uses soccer to promote ethnic cooperation and personal leadership.
For the youth of Kibera, soccer is not just a game. It’s a part of how they survive the uncertainty and struggle of life in a slum.
In addition to being a beautifully shot film, the filmmakers do a remarkable job of breaking down stereotypes of Africans living in extreme poverty. The film also draws attention to a number of important themes – unemployment, mentorship, poverty economics, social insurance, global health, education, political unrest, and tribalism, among others. After its world premiere at the Full Frame Documentary Festival, the Independent Weekly called the film “both uplifting and illuminating, a look inside a place where the degree of bloodshed and poverty might seem foreign, but the healing power of team athletics is universal.”
The evening’s lineup includes:
5:30 p.m. – Block party and food truck rodeo
- Performances by world soccer freestyle champion Indie Cowie and world-class jump rope team the Bouncing Bulldogs.
7:00 p.m. – “Without a Fight” documentary premiere
- Live music accompaniment by Phil Cook and Brad Cook of Megafaun and Raleigh-based rockers Gray Young
- Introduction by Carolina for Kibera’s co-founder Rye Barcott
- A magic show by Michael Casey
- Screening of the trailer for “It Happened on the Way to War” (Barcott’s memoir), with a musical accompaniment by JKutchma
- A Q&A with CFK-Kenya executive director Hillary Omala, Barcott, producer Beth-Ann Kutchma, director Jason Arthurs, and original score composers Phil Cook and Brad Cook
The event is free, but tickets for the screening are $15 for the public, $10 for UNC faculty and staff, $5 for students with ID. Children under 12 are free.
