Sports: documentaries to watch during confinement

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More than three billion humans are now confined during the coronavirus pandemic. Mindfulness during this major crisis is sometimes difficult. For sports lovers, the editorial staff of RFI has selected ten documentaries to (re) watch.

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Annie Gasnier recommends MARADONA (2008)

This documentary celebrates one of the greatest footballers of the 20th century. The Argentinian Diego Maradona even climbed the steps at the Cannes Festival with his director, Emir Kusturica, to present his story that has become legend. From the poor neighborhoods of Buenos Aires to Naples, via Cuba, the filmmaker turned into an absolute fan follows the meteoric rise and the sad downfall of the author of the "goal of the century" who became obese. Diego as a family closes the film with a hymn to his glory. Fascinating. Just like Diego Maradona from Asif Kapadia (2019), fed by personal archives, focused on the Neapolitan years, where "El 10" was welcomed as a planetary star to leave secretly after his suspension for cocaine.

"Maradona" Trailer

Antoine Grognet recommends SENNA (2010)

D'Ayrton Senna, the Brazilian prodigy, we know his three titles of world champion of Formula 1, his rivalry with Alain Prost and his death on May 1, 1994 in full Grand Prix of Imola. In his documentary based on archive footage, some previously unseen, director Asif Kapadia discusses other aspects of the pilot's ten-year career, including his permanent desire to improve race safety conditions: the pass memorable arms with Jean-Marie Balestre the boss of the International Automobile Federation at the time is one of the highlights of the documentary.

"Senna" Trailer

Christophe Jousset recommends WHEN WE WERE KINGS (1996)

- Say dad, is it true that Zlatan is a legend?
- Mmm no, son ... Here, sit down, you will see what a true sports legend is. We are going to watch a documentary on Mohamed Ali…
A good time to immerse yourself in this documentary, Oscar-winning in 1997 and built around the famous "fight of the century" against Foreman in 1974 in Kinshasa. Ali the immense boxing champion of course but also Ali and his captivating charisma outside the ring. While crossing James Brown, BB King, the Fugees, Norman Mailer, Spike Lee or Mobutu Sese Seko, the master of this country which was then called Zaire.

"When We Were Kings" Trailer

David Kalfa recommends EYES IN THE BLUES (1998)

Few sports documentaries have marked the French general public as did this one, devoted to the victory of the French football team at the 1998 World Cup. A few weeks after this coronation at home, the supporters relive this epic from the inside, the Federation having accepted the presence of director Stéphane Meunier during the competition and during its preparation. Result: 157 minutes behind the scenes, tasty and moving scenes, cult replicas (the famous "muscle your game" addressed to Robert Pirès by coach Aimé Jacquet). Even if the disagreements between the 98 world champions have, in recent years, somewhat broken this image of a large group of friends on the way to glory, The eyes in the Blues remains a reference for lovers of three-color sports.

Hugo Moissonnier recommends OJ : MADE IN AMERICA (2016)

Nearly 8 hours of film, miles of archives, an impressive number of speakers and an Oscar in 2016: OJ : Made in America is an extraordinary documentary, just like its subject. American football star, successful actor then outcast, Orenthal James Simpson definitively enters American history in the early 1990s. Accused of a double murder (his ex-wife is one of the victims), he becomes the protagonist of the 'one of the most resounding trials in the history of the United States. In recounting the rise and fall of "The Juice," Ezra Edelman also dissects the deep racial tensions that plague America. " I'm not black, I'm OJ ! Likes to assert Simpson before crying out in racism to get away when all overwhelms him, becoming the dubious hero of an angry African-American community.

Trailer for "OJ: Made In America"

Olivier Pron recommends RISING FROM ASHES (2012)

This extremely moving documentary recounts the crossed destinies of the Rwandan cycling team and its trainer Jonathan Boyer (first American rider to have competed in the Tour de France in the early 1980s). The director focuses on the journey of the Rwandan cycling star of the time (between 2007 and 2012), Adrien Nyonshuti, whose main family (including six brothers and sisters) were massacred during the genocide (April- July 1994). The young man, mutic, met in 2007 Boyer came to Rwanda to accompany a friend. In search of redemption after a history of manners in the United States which brought him to prison, the former runner, who fell in love with the country settled there. At the foot of volcanoes. And there is developing a training center, now internationally renowned. Among other local runners, he will take Nyonshuti under his wing to bring him towards professionalism and the London Games in 2012. He will especially develop cycling in Rwanda to make it one of the most efficient in Africa. The Tour of Rwanda is without a doubt today the most beautiful and the most difficult of the continental cycling tours. This film, covered with awards around the world, makes you cry often, laugh rarely, but learn a lot! It is produced by the American actor Forest Whitaker who is also the narrator.

Trailer for "Rising From Ashes"

Thomas de Saint-Léger recommends LE PÉRIPLE ROUGE (2004)

When, at the start of the 2003/2004 season, they decided to follow the Monaco football team, the journalists of the excellent magazine “Interior Sport” did not yet suspect it, but they had just embarked on the the heart of one of the most improbable footballing epics of the past 20 years. Trained by a promising technician, Didier Deschamps, a skilful mixture of young talents (Patrice Evra, Jérôme Rothen, Emmanuel Adebayor ...) and revenge players (Fernando Morientes), the formation of the Rocher will reach, to everyone's surprise, the League of Nations final Champions, hooking Ronaldo and Zidane's Real Madrid to their chase board, then Frank Lampard's Chelsea. The success of the documentary owes a lot to this flair, but not only: the degree of immersion authorized by the club allows you to experience from the inside the rise in power of the collective led by a Deschamps of which we can already guess the exceptional qualities of group builder.

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