My Accomplice director Stanley Brock has shot a short film based around the Venice Beach Football Club. It's a short documentary exploring how this unique football club brings together a diverse and marginalised community in one of the most iconic locations in the world - Venice Beach - turning it into an extraordinary and unlikely Mecca for soccer in the United States.
The narrative takes us through the story of the community around this unique football club. Through the different subjects, which the club has impacted, we explore why VBFC fits so perfectly into the hectic, punk rock vibe of the Venice boardwalk. It also allows us to learn more about the Venice community, and how it has been affected by forces such as gentrification over the years.
One of the central characters is from a very old school Oakwood family. Speaking with the grandma, we learn the effects that gentrification has had on community spirit, and why having a football club that brings the kids back to the old Oakwood park is a beam of hope.
The narrative is not based around the founding of the club, but rather, the rich and vibrant community it has brought together. Football connects these unlikely members of the community, empowering them, providing focus, and the chance to channel their skills and their talent. This unlikely club is a microcosm of the world wide power of football to enhance people’s lives.