Festival del Film Locarno x House of Switzerland

Kill the referee de Y. Hinant, D. Lehericey (2009) – hors competition

77 min, o.v. st. French

“In a way, Kill the Referee by Yves Hinant, Eric Cardot and Delphine Lehericey is something of an anomaly in the program, since it shows us the football arena via those men in black who play a role as important as it is demanding. But, in watching this documentary, shown out of competition in Locarno in 2009, you will realize that here too it is more a matter of perspective than sporting action and that, fundamentally, referees are none other than a match’s first spectators.”  Carlo Chatrian, Artistic Director

How can a few crucial minutes in a football match change the life of an entire family? How do the «men in black» feel when they are attacked by supporters? Les arbitres unveils the lives of several professional football referees at the EURO 2008 championship; amongst them, the English referee Howard Webb, who provoked incredible controversy when he gave a penalty to Austria just before the end of the match with Poland, and the Italian Roberto Rosetti, who refereed the final. Filmed right at the heart of the action, we hear their comments during the matches thanks to lapel-mikes. Belgian producer Jean Libon, who initiated the project, obtained permission and access to what was going on behind the scenes thanks to support from UEFA president Michel Platini. No need to be a football fan to find the amazing world of professional referees utterly gripping!