Baltimore magazine intern on assignment

Last night, I represented Baltimore magazine at a screening of Ryan White’s new documentary, Pelada, at the Charles Theatre near Penn Station. Here’s a short recap: The film follows two former college soccer players, Luke Boughen (Notre Dame) and Gwendolyn Oxenham (Duke) as they travel the world, playing what they call “pick-up soccer” with the locals. Pelada, meaning “naked” in Brazilian, describes this bare bones form of soccer, which can be played anywhere – on rooftops, a prison, a gas station parking lot – and by anyone. Luke and Gwendolyn travel to Argentina, Italy, Germany, Kenya, Ghana, China, Israel and even Iran in search of people who simply love to play. Many of their travels are dangerous, as they must face the cultures and differences of certain countries. By the end of the film, By the end of the film, Gwendolyn comes to a conclusion about soccer all over the world - “The game stretches and changes, but stays the same.”

My job was to attend the screening, producer/director/cinematographer Ryan White’s Q&A afterwards as well as the cocktail reception. I took a few notes, but mostly just watched and enjoyed the film. During the Q&A, White praised his aunt, Kathy McCabe, who planned the screening for Baltimore. White also spent much of his childhood in the city, so I’m sure it was very cool for him to enjoy the film with nearby family and friends. White mentioned the film had already had about 40 screenings across the country, but he also had plans to show it in many of the countries shown in the movie.

After he finished speaking, I looked for Rick, the short but enthusiastic photographer I needed to follow at the reception. I’m glad he knew what he was doing, because I was pretty lost. We had to move fast because it was a bit late, and we weren’t sure how any people would stick around. I stayed with Rick as he bolted back and forth in the lobby, throwing a group of people together for a photo. Thanks to Kathy, we were able to pinpoint a few notable people at the event. My job was to get everyone’s names in the photo, left to right and spelled correctly in the “Parties” section of the magazine. This was not such an easy job, as most groups immediately dispersed as soon as Rick took the photo. And believe me, getting names from little children is no easy task either (me: what's your name? kid: uhhh..um, Michael? me: and how do you spell that? kid: i don't know... me: um, really? kid: i like soccer!!!)

Last night was the film’s only night in Baltimore, but there is an upcoming screening in DC at the Avalon Theatre, 8 PM on July 27th. It's not exactly nearby, but if you're in the area, it's worth checking out.