Born To Play, the 2020 film that documents a season with the Boston Renegades women’s football team, will see wide distribution across video-on-demand outlets this summer.
The Park Pictures film debuted on ESPN Originals on July 1st last year. The documentary and Director Viridian Lieberman garnered widespread media attention and critical acclaim. The film next appeared on ABC Network on July 19. It was then made available exclusively on ESPN+ until the end of 2020.
Vertical Entertainment acquired North American rights to Born To Play, opening the door for its distribution across the video-on-demand market in the U.S., Canada, and Mexico. The film appeared on Hulu in June, followed in July by VUDU, iTunes, YouTube, Google Play, Microsoft Movies & TV, and Netflix.
Born To Play continues to receive positive reviews and media attention. It was recently listed among the “54 Best Movies Streaming on Netflix” on USA Today’s sports website For The W!n. The film earned 8.2 out of 10 stars on IMDB and a 100% Tomatometer Rating on RottenTomatoes.com.
About the film and its makers
Born To Play spends a season with the Boston Renegades, a women’s tackle football team on the path to redemption after losing the championship game. These unpaid athletes put their bodies on the line while maintaining full-time careers that support their lifelong dream… proving that football is for everyone. Born To Play shines a light on a team of remarkable women, ranging in age from 19-49, from a vast spectrum of backgrounds who dedicate their time, bodies, and paychecks to pursue their passion for playing football.
Viridiana Lieberman is a filmmaker and writer based in Brooklyn, N.Y. Born To Play marks Lieberman’s feature-length documentary directorial debut. She previously edited the award-winning documentaries I Am Evidence and The Sentence. She also edited Love the Sinner and Special Olympics: 50 Years of Changing the Game. Lieberman wrote the quintessential book on women’s sports on film, Sports Heroines on Film: A Critical Study of Cinematic Women Athletes, Coaches and Owners.
Born To Play is produced by Theodora Dunlap, Sam Bisbee and Viridiana Lieberman and executive produced by Lance Acord, Jackie Kelman Bisbee, and Jon Bulette. Known for high-quality feature and documentary films, Park Pictures produced the Emmy Award-winning feature documentary The Sentence, which also took home the Audience Award at the 2018 Sundance Film Festival. Over the past nine years, Park Pictures has had 13 films featured in the Sundance Film Festival.
About the Boston Renegades
The Boston Renegades are the premier women’s tackle football team in New England and the defending Division 1 Champions of the Women’s Football Alliance (WFA). The organization continues the rich history of women’s football in Boston, which includes five national titles. The Renegades play at Harry della Russo Stadium in Revere, Mass.