Contragolpe (Counterstrike) I 2017 I 1 h 40 m I Documentary
EFFNY2018 I NORTH AMERICAN PREMIERE I IN COMPETITION
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Spanish with English subtitles
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On April 16, 2016, an earthquake measuring 7.8 on the Richter scale shook the coast of Ecuador. In the following days scenes of horror were lived. The material damages were immense: more than twenty-thousand people were displaced and about seven-hundred died. But as a result of this natural phenomenon, another phenomenon was activated: solidarity.
One of the most notable gestures of solidarity was undertaken by a small soccer team called Independiente del Valle, which at the time was ready to play an important game for Copa Libertadores, FIFA's America Cup. For this post-earthquake match the club resolved to play in the emblematic Estadio Olímpico Atahualpa and donate all profits to humanitarian aid projects in the country.
That first night saw Independiente del Valle overcome rivals such as River Plate, Boca Juniors from Argentina, and Pumas from Mexico in their progress towards the Copa Libertadores final, helping the earthquake victims on this journey.
Inspired by real events, Counterstrike relates, through soccer, the campaign of the Ecuadorian team on and off the field. The film features vivid portraits of many players, coaching staff, and leadership as it enters ground zero of the earthquake.
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Counterstrike explores what happens when football stops being just a game.
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ABOUT THE DIRECTOR:
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Andrés Cornejo was born in Quito in 1987. He studied cinema in Spain at ESCAC (Higher School of Cinema and Audiovisuals of Catalonia). He has lived in Ecuador since 2013 has always been drawn to documentary cinema. He has made i several projects in this genre as director and screenwriter, including: The Bright and the Moonless, Counterstrike, The Kitman. He has worked in other projects as director of photography and editor of several short and feature films. He currently works at Cavila Studio.​