Papaya Films and Dan French collaborates with Barclays for the Community Football Fund

Dan French’s latest film for Barclays Community Football Fund is an inspiring piece that showcases how football can open doors to various life skills that can last a lifetime and how important it is that children across the UK have access to be able to play the beautiful game no matter their background.

Here’s what Dan had to say: “I really enjoyed the pre-production process on this one. Creating something that was really heavily boarded and working with an amazing young talent to develop her performance. Working with Siahra, the lead was a real pleasure. She had incredible emotional intelligence and it was great working together to delve into the motivations for her character's nervousness.”

The authentic performance captures the anxieties that come with childhood, all those social pressures that sometimes can feel overwhelming. Dan’s direction is one of optimism and determination as we see the young girl transition from a football pitch into a classroom, giving a speech about how confidence can defeat anxieties, as we then cut back to her celebrating with her football team.

Dan adds: “With the match cuts being so crucial to the story, it was necessary to plan this one down to a tee. I shot the boards first on my iPhone to ensure that all the edit points and match cuts would work. There were still some magic moments on set that were unplanned but worked well. These moments tie together both the football pitch and the classroom and show how football can help with confidence in other areas of our lives.”

Barclays in partnership with Sported will be offering grants to those who need it the most, including training, kits and exclusive ticketing offers to make football more accessible in communities across the UK.

For more information visit - Barclays: Community Football Fund

Credits

BARCLAYS

SENIOR MARKETING MANAGER - JAMES TYRRELL

HEAD OF SPONSORSHIP CAMPAIGNS - AMY DONOGHUE

GROUP BRAND ACTIVATION DIRECTOR - GEORGE SCOTLAND

AGENCY - M&C SAATCHI

SENIOR CREATIVE - JOSEPH KEIRS

SENIOR CREATIVE - JOSEPH TEDDER

CREATIVE DIRECTOR - RONALDO TAVARES

SENIOR PRODUCER - DALE CHAPMAN

PRODUCER - PHILIPPA ROFFEY