In Football We Trust
Sundance Film Festival
Directors: Tony Vainuku & Erika Cohn

There are only 128,000 Polynesians in the United States, yet they are the largest ethnic group to play for the NFL and the state of Utah is the central hub for these individuals. Co-directors Tony Vainuku and Erika Cohn take the audience on a journey with four NFL hopefuls including Fihi Kaufusi (Highland High School), Harvey Langi (Bingham High School) and brothers Tevita and Leva Bloomfield (Hunter High School) as they reach the end of their high school academics and start seeking college placement with multiple recruiters. One of the greatest skills of a documentarian is being able to adapt to an unforeseen situation that jettisons a story into an entirely different direction. Vainuku and Cohn deserve accolades in this department for molding their story to confront violence when one of their subjects is caught brandishing a firearm at school. It’s unbearable to witness the pressure placed upon these teenagers’ shoulders as their families have their hopes set sky high with NFL dollar signs in their eyes. It’s too much for anyone to take on let alone an 18-year-old. This is an emotional story of family, redemption, forgiveness, maturity, religion, and sports and it all fuses together for a feel-good experience.
-Jimmy Martin


Screening Times:

Time: Tuesday, Jan. 27 @ 6 p.m. Venue: Egyptian Theatre, Park City

Time: Saturday, Jan. 31 @ 6 p.m. Venue: Redstone Cinema 7, Park City