The Two Escobars
(Jeff Zimbalist & Michael Zimbalist, 2010, 100 min, Colombia/USA, in English, Color, DVD)

-- Q&A to follow with director Jeff Zimbalist!

This new documentary by brothers Jeff and Michael Zimbalist investigates the secret marriage of crime and sport and the surprising connections between the murders of soccer star Andrés Escobar and drug baron Pablo Escobar in Colombia. A chilling portrayal of Colombia during the darkest days of narcotrafficking, it details the last years of two famous Colombians named Escobar, who weren't related by blood but by their connection to the sport of soccer. While rival drug cartels warred in the streets and the country’s murder rate climbed to highest in the world, the Colombian national soccer team set out to blaze a new image for their country. What followed was a mysteriously rapid rise to glory, as the team catapulted out of decades of obscurity to become one of the best teams in the world. Central to this success were the two Escobars: Andrés, the captain and poster child of the National Team, and Pablo, the infamous drug baron who pioneered the phenomenon known in the underworld as “Narco-soccer.” But just when Colombia was expected to win the 1994 World Cup and transform its international image, the shocking murder of Andres Escobar dashed the hopes of a nation.
-- Part of the Latin American Film Festival.

-- The Two Escobars was featured at this year’s Tribeca Film Festival, Cannes Film Festival, and L.A. Film Festival!

Cost: Free and Open to the Public

Sponsors: Program in Arts of the Moving Image (AMI) and Center for Latin American and Caribbean Studies