I’m a sucker for soccer content on the big and small screen.

Be it Rodney Dangerfield’s admittedly terrible Ladybugs, introspective documentaries like Zidane: A 21st Century Portrait, or modern behind-the-scenes smash hits like Amazon’s All or Nothing series, film has given us so many interesting ways to ponder the infinite aspects of the beautiful game.

And this Spring, a new film is shedding light on another angle of the game that many — myself included — were previously unaware of: the “first” women’s World Cup held in 1971.

Yeah, you read that right.

Twenty years before the first “official” FIFA-sanctioned women’s World Cup was hosted in China and won by the American women, six women’s international sides convened in Mexico with the goal of crowning a women’s world football champion.

COPA 71 comes to us from directors Rachel Ramsay and James Erskine, and executive produced by the Williams sisters, offers an in-depth look at that largely-unknown tournament.

And luckily for those of us here in Ohio, its screening live at the Cleveland International Film Festival on Saturday, April 6, at the KeyBank State Theatre. Tickets are already on sale and can be purchased here. And if you can’t make it to the live screening of the soccer doc can purchase digital screening passes and watch anywhere in Ohio from April 14 to April 21.

And you know what’s even better? I have FIVE digital screening passes to give away to followers of Wrong Side of the Pond!

To enter, head to any of my social media posts announcing this giveaway — Facebook, Instagram, Threads, or X — and follow the instructions there to register.

I’ll select five winners from the valid entries on Friday, April 5. Winners will be contacted via direct/private message on the social platform they registered and have until the 11:59 PM Eastern on Sunday, April 7, to accept before a new winner will be selected and contacted.

Due to licensing restrictions and geo-locking, winning entries can only be viewed in Ohio.

Here’s a short synopsis of the COPA 71:

From executive producers Venus and Serena Williams comes the legend of the 1971 Women’s Soccer World Cup, a six-country tournament watched by millions but subsequently buried by FIFA and other sexist organizations to the point that even most of today’s famous players had no idea it existed.


The 1971 Women’s World Cup broke barriers before being lost to time. But this documentary seeks to remind us of the triumphs it brought to the world of women’s sports. Despite facing institutional sexism and the opposition of FIFA (who wouldn’t officially recognize a Women’s Cup for another 20 years), teams from around the world came together for the love of the game and gave hope to an unprecedented 100,000 spectators. Executive produced by Venus and Serena Williams, and featuring modern-day Olympians Brandi Chastain and Alex Morgan, COPA 71 retells the story with thrilling archival sports footage and interviews with the athletes who competed—painting a recent global history of the journey for women in sports.

Cleveland international film festival

Winning entrants can redeem their digital voucher at any time between Sunday, April 14, 2024, at 11:00 AM Eastern and Sunday, April 21, 2024, at 11:59 PM Eastern. Redemption instructions can be found below.

1. Voucher Codes can be redeemed anytime on clevelandfilm.org. Log into your CIFF Eventive account. If you don’t have one, you will be prompted to create one during checkout.
2. Check out the CIFF Streams page and search for “COPA 71”.
3. Click “ADD TO CART” on a CIFF48 in-person screening, or “Pre-Order Now” or “Unlock” (depending on when you order your streaming ticket) on a CIFF48 Streams online screening, to add a ticket to your cart. 
4. If you have a CIFF48 Membership or Pass associated with your CIFF Eventive account, a drop-down menu will appear with the option to “Order with [Your Name] [Membership or Pass Type.” Select the option to continue to checkout.  
5. The Checkout pop-up window will appear. Click on the “Have a discount code or gift card?” option and enter the Voucher Code. 
6. Once you enter your designated Voucher Code, click “APPLY”. This will then apply your Voucher Code to your order. Then click “BUY” to place your order.
7. Once you place your order you will see a “Thank you for your order!” message and the details of your order. Within minutes of purchase, you will receive an emailed order confirmation (from cfs@clevelandfilm.org) containing your QR-coded digital ticket(s).