The documentary film “Reggae Girlz,” which premiered last week at DOC NYC, is uplifting, inspiring, and emotional. It is also a blunt, unvarnished look at gender inequity in sports. Focusing on the Jamaican women’s national football (soccer) team that not only qualified for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup in Australia, but won a match, held powerhouse Brazil to 0–0, and advanced to the round of 16, the film shows a team that impressed the world despite being “neglected, under-funded, and ignored.”
After qualifying for the World Cup in 2019, the first Caribbean women’s team to do so, the team caught the attention of filmmakers. Producer Laura Smith got the ball rolling in connecting with the players. Directors Trish Dalton and Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy joined in 2020. There were many Zoom conversations in which respect and trust were built. The project picked up steam when, in 2022, the team qualified for the 2023 World Cup, the first Caribbean team to qualify for two consecutive World Cups. Red Bull Studios stepped up to fund the film.
“We wanted to follow their journey and thought it would be a good story,” said Dalton. “We connected with the players and were very much interested in, not only in telling the story of women who were making a historical feat, but working with such little resources and still managing to reach such a high level of competition.”
Cedella Marley, daughter of the late reggae icon Bob Marley, and the Bob Marley Foundation provided support to the team when the Jamaican Football Federation did not. Dalton said Marley’s passionate involvement showed women supporting women. As the film progressed, Marley was also involved in the film’s soundtrack, which is also being released.
Some of the players on the 24-person World Cup squad came from the U.S., Canada, and the United Kingdom, but were willing to accept the challenging conditions. “The love of Jamaica, the love of the team, the camaraderie, and representing Jamaica had a deeper meaning,” said Dalton.
“We really felt [that] if the audience could meet these players, see them and learn about them…they would be interested to watch more women’s sports,” said Dalton. “To show that they’re amazing players, really interesting to watch, and they’re part of a broader circle. … We hope it reaches as wide an audience as possible.”