INDEPENDENT FOOTBALL NATION
JIW JIW FILMS x COPA 90
THE CONCEPT
“Over the last ten years Welsh football has experienced a revolution, going from the international wilderness to the Euro 2016 semi-finals and the brink of a first World Cup in 64 years.
However, off the pitch is where you’ll find the real story. The fans, inspired by their team, have created a special culture as their under threat language is given a space to thrive.”
This idea was long in the making, as Jiw Jiw Films directors Greg and Manon - as well as the film’s DOP Charlie Phillips - are long time Welsh football fans and have experienced this ‘revolution’ up close.
THE EXECUTION
Wales were playing a crucial away double-header in their quest to qualify for the 2022 World Cup, travelling to the Czech Republic and Estonia.
We went along with the fans to capture the special culture that had been fostered up close, interviewing fans in locations all over Prague and Tallinn.
Due to the ad-hoc nature of the production, with fans taking time out of their holiday to chat to us, we often had to think on our feet in terms of interview locations - ending up in hotel lobbies, churchyards and canteens!
THE RESULT
‘Independent Football Nation’ premiered on Copa 90’s YouTube channel in November, just prior to the World Cup play-off draw, which Wales were featuring in for the first time since 1958.
The film received a positive reception and was covered in several major news outlets, including the Guardian, BBC Cymru Fyw and Nation.Cymru, as well as by one of the UK’s leading podcasts ‘The Socially Distant Sports Bar’.
WHAT THEY SAID
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This documentary isn't really about what happened to Welsh football in the last decade - it's about what it feels like, and what it means to those fans. 'Independent Football Nation' captures that beautifully - flitting seamlessly between two languages all the while - as we get a glimpse into a phenomenon that is about so much more than watching a game for 90 minutes."
Iolo Cheung - Journalist, BBC Cymru Wales
CREDITS
Greg Caine - Director, camera-operator
Charlie Phillips - Director of Photography, camera-operator
Ed Groves - Executive Producer
Adwaith/Libertino Records - Music (‘Newid’)