“Let’s F-cking Go,” the battle cry of the US Women’s national soccer team, echoed through the tents of the Tribeca Film Festival this year. New film LFG documents the team’s quest towards a 2019 World Cup win and equal pay. Players Megan Rapinoe and Jessica McDonald accompanied filmmakers at the premiere and gave The Knockturnal exclusive interviews on the red carpet.
For the reigning World Cup champions, the annual Manhattan festival acted as a pit stop on their way to the upcoming Tokyo Olympics. USWNT has a history of racking titles on the field. But in recent years, the stars have also strived towards wins in the courtroom. In 2016, Rapinoe banded together with Carli Lloyd, Alex Morgan, Becky Sauerbrunn, and Hope Solo to sue the US Soccer Federation for wage discrimination. Three years later, the entire team challenged the federation with a claim of gender discrimination. The lawsuits attracted eyes on the governing body for American soccer, and how it allocated pay, field usage, lodging, and travel between the men’s and women’s teams.
The women’s team made 2019 a balancing act between sports and the law. On the surface, the women were bringing home yet another World Cup win, the only of the two US teams to have any. Behind the scenes, players were filling out the paperwork to the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission themselves.
That attracted directors Andrea Nix Fine and Sean Fine, executive producers Ben Silverman and Howard Owens towards chronicling the team’s multidimensional journey.
LFG’s debut at the Tribeca Film Festival follows with slot on HBO Max’s roster. Audiences can view the documentary beginning June 24, 2021.