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The term “sweeper keeper” might not be unfamiliar to people who follow modern-day football, but back in the late 80s and early 90s, the idea of a goalkeeper getting out of the post and trying to contribute to goal-scoring by marching forward was unimaginable. And then there was René Higuita, the legendary Colombian goalkeeper, who made it a point to do it, which subsequently changed the course of the game. The latest Netflix documentary Higuita: The Way of the Scorpion puts the same man in the middle, but instead of telling his life story in a structural manner, it plays out just like René used to on the field. Let us take a closer look.

Who Was René Higuita?

The answer to that question would be “one of the most colorful characters ever to play the sport”. Arguably one of the greatest Colombian footballers, Higuita’s style of goalkeeping was...

Higuita: The Way of the Scorpion is a documentary written and directed by Luis Ara about the life of René Higuita, one of the most charismatic players of his generation.

René Higuita was a goalkeeper who, in his own way, changed the world of football. He was a goalkeeper who took penalty kicks, ventured out of his goal and made incredible plays to capture the attention of adoring fans who flocked to the stadium to see what René Higuita would come up with that afternoon.

Off the field, he was an idol as well: a man who enjoyed the nightlife and reveled in the world of fame, rubbing shoulders with high-profile figures in various ways. He had powerful friends involved in the drug trade and found himself entangled in scandals of all sorts.

“Higuita: The Way of the Scorpion” is a documentary that not only delves into the world of...

Sales

Collective Media Group and Entourage Sports and Entertainment‘s soccer documentary feature “Brazil 2002: The Real Story,” recounting the story of the 2002 World Cup on its 20th anniversary, has sold a raft of territories worldwide. The film uses six hours of unseen archive material shot by Brazilian soccer player Juliano Belletti during the tournament, and also features interviews with Ronaldo, Ronaldinho, Cafu and Gilberto Silva from the World Cup winning Brazil team; and, from the opposing teams across the tournament, David Beckham, Michael Owen, Oliver Kahn, Hasan Şaş and Marc Wilmots as well as referee Pierluigi Collina.

FIFA has taken the film for its own streamer FIFA+, for territories including Asia (excluding Japan), Turkey and New Zealand. This is complemented by deals confirmed by distribution partner Abacus Media Rights including: Canal+ Group for Canal+ Foot and myCanal (France); Sky Deutschland; Sky Italia; Dbs Satellite Services (Israel and West Bank...

Sequel

Sf Studios has announced that the 2021 Berlin Generation Kplus player “Nelly Rapp: Monster Agent” is getting a sequel. The original was a hit among kids and parents alike in its native Sweden and won a pair of Swedish Guldbagge Awards. Based on Martin Widmark’s popular children’s books of the same name, the film features rising star Matilda Gross as the titular Nelly, a young girl who, along with her dog London, are dragged into a world of ghosts, vampires and werewolves.

Johan Rosell will direct with Jon Nohrstedt and Niklas Larsson producing for Sf Studios. Filming will kick off in Gothenburg on Feb. 21, with the film scheduled to premiere in Swedish theaters in 2023 and an international launch shortly thereafter.

“The ambition with the new film is to bring the whole family to an exciting new world where Nelly Rapp embarks on a new adventure,” said Nohrstedt and Larsson.

Netflix’s first Uruguayan original, “Togo” by Israel Adrian Caetano, is set to bow in the spring, most likely in April. Described by Caetano as an urban Western, “Togo” marks Caetano’s first film since 2015.

“Seven years have passed since I made ‘The Lost Brother’ [‘El Otro Hermano’]; I’m back with my first love,” said Caetano who has been working on TV series aside from taking a pandemic-induced hiatus in recent years.

The film is currently in post at Federico Moreira’s LAMAYORCine, which produced and provided post-production services to Sundance World Competition entry “Utama.”

“Federico and I have been wanting to work together for some time now, but he’s on board only as the sound director here; hopefully next time,” said Caetano whose company, La Expresion del Deseo, partnered with Luis Ara’s Trailer Films and Ignacio Jaunsolo’s Ska Films to co-produce “Togo.”

The titular Togo, played by Argentine...