Watch UK trailer for 'Mario', a football film about forbidden love
New movie, released in selected cinemas on July 13, shows the pressure on gay players to conform to professional football's strict culture
Wednesday 20 June 2018 11:09, UK
We're used to seeing the beautiful game on the big screen, but new movie 'Mario' is now taking on a topic that football still finds difficult.
Coming to selected UK cinemas on Friday, July 13 - just in time for World Cup final weekend - 'Mario' takes audiences inside the pressure cooker of a top-flight club's Under-21 set-up, where the title character is on track to make the first team until his life takes a wholly unexpected turn.
The club is Switzerland's Young Boys Bern, where the arrival of Leon from Hannover 96 produces a strike partnership with Mario that's hugely effective on the pitch, although both players know they are also competing against each other for a contract next season.
When they move into an apartment together out of convenience, the tension between them eases, and they become firm friends - only for a stronger relationship to then develop.
In the close-knit environment of the dressing room, it's a secret they can't keep, and life-changing decisions - such as the opportunity to move to Germany, to play for St Pauli - become inevitable...
The film has claimed several awards in director Marcel Gisler's homeland, including 'Best Actor' at the Swiss Film Prize for Max Hubacher, who plays Mario. It was first screened in the UK in March at the BFI Flare Film Festival, which is supported by Sky, and was recently shown to fans from club LGBT supporters groups at the Pride in Football 'Call It Out' event in Nottingham.
For Gisler, gaining access to the authentic football world that he wanted to depict was crucial.
"It was important to me to illustrate the context as realistically and contemporarily as possible," said the director. "Young Boys Bern generously supported me during the research and script development phases. During shooting, both they and St Pauli provided us with infrastructure, materials, and their names, for which I am very grateful."
Hit play above to watch the trailer for 'Mario', which opens in selected UK cinemas on Friday, July 13. Learn more at www.mario-film.co.uk.
Sky Sports is part of TeamPride, a consortium of businesses and brands that support Stonewall's Rainbow Laces campaign for LGBT+ inclusion in sport.
