Itaquera – A World Cup in the Backyard

Three Dutch journalists Daan Dekker, Veerle Denissen and Ron Santing met in São Paulo. Soon they found out that they share the same interests and ambitions: telling personal stories regarding the World Cup. So they decided to join forces and created the plan for Itaquera – A World Cup in the Backyard.

Documentary series

"The documentary series Itaquera – A World Cup in the Backyard tells the story of four inhabitants of Itaquera, a lower middle-class neighbourhood in the outskirts of metropolis São Paulo. The upcoming World Cup influences the lives of these people immensely: either in a positive or a negative way. Together with them, we’ll count down to the start of the event, following their development and that of the neighbourhood.

Itaquera is a Brazilian suburb like many others. It’s located in the east zone of São Paulo, the ‘Zona Leste’ and has a bad reputation. People are struggling to make something of their lives while facing the usual problems: a high crime level, drug abuse, and poverty. The new stadium, the Itaquerão, is located right in the centre of Itaquera. This is where the World Cup’s opening ceremony will take place."

Four inhabitants of Itaquera

"We will show how both the neighbourhood and the lives of our four main characters are changing. We will get to know Drancy, the leader of favela Da Paz which is located just next to the stadium, who has to leave his house because of public works. He’s been living in uncertainty for the last year about where and when he has to go. And he still doesn’t know what the future holds for him: only that he will be gone before June.

Djair on the other hand is very happy about the upcoming Cup in his neighbourhood. Every week he travels to a factory in Paraguay to buy national team football shirts and expand his stock. He plans to charge in dollars and triple his price, so that after the cup he can buy a new car and a new house. But will the FIFA let him sell his shirts close to the stadium?

We will also follow a rap and graffiti artist from Itaquera, who is actively involved in the protests against the World Cup because he wants things to change in the neighbourhood. He’s lost various friends to crime and drugs.

And a young female police officer observes all the positive and negative changes in the neighbourhood. We will film these people from January 2014 until the start of the World Cup, keeping track of the changes in their lives."

Release in May and June 2014

The documentary series Itaquera – A World Cup in the Backyard is being produced in cooperation with Lokaalmondiaal from the Netherlands and Brazilian television channel Canal Futura. In May and June 2014 the series will be shown on Canal Futura and online. A longer documentary that includes filming in Itaquera after the World Cup will be released in December 2014.

More information

For more information about Itaquera – A World Cup in the Backyard, visit http://www.itaqueradeserie.com

Update 31/05/2014: Watch the first episode of Itaquera - A World Cup in the Backyard (in Dutch or Portuguese) online at http://www.itaqueradeserie.com