Herricanes (The)

Meet the Houston Herricanes, one of the shining stars of the very first women’s full tackle football league in the US in the 1970s. Gifted cinematographer Olivia Kuan (First Period, Frameline38) makes her first outing as a documentary film director with this spirited portrait of the untold story of these trailblazing athletes… and it’s a story close to her own heart too, as Kuan’s mother was a Herricane herself.

Winner of the Audience Award at last year’s SXSW Film Festival, The Herricanes basically offers us the pigskin version of A League of Their Own in non-fiction form. When news of the formation of the National Women’s Football League in the early 1970s spread to Texas, an intersectional group of sporty feminists found friendship, comradery, and the occasional romance in one another as the best-named team in the league. Up against a wave of obstacles including public ridicule, empty stadiums, and working with very little money (a stark contrast to the men’s equivalent), the league ended after four short years. This fun, informative film looks at the similarities still faced in women’s sports, as The Herricanes reunite 50ish years later. -