Corner Kick

A child in a red shirt enters an indoor football pitch surrounded by figures much bigger than himself. Corner Kick sees football from his height: the changing room, the bench and the goal become places in an experience where fear can make everything grow.

Alexandra Shadrina’s animated short follows its young protagonist between play and imagination. Enormous balls, running and difficult saves give shape to his hesitation about being a goalkeeper. A match watched on television then brings football away from the pitch and into everyday life.

Credited as creator, director, writer and art director, Shadrina tells a story of sport and childhood in approximately seven minutes. It begins with familiar actions — stepping onto the field, watching others, holding a ball — and views them from the perspective of someone still finding a place in the team.