Come to the special screening of ‘Copa 71’ on International Women’s Day

Although women’s football has begun to enjoy increasingly more attention globally in recent years, this has not always been the case – in fact, FIFA did not recognize the Women’s World Cup until 1991.

And this means, simultaneously, that many and much have been written out of history. Such as the Women’s World Cup in 1971, where Denmark sensationally ended up at the top of the victory podium after playing the final at Azteca Stadium in front of more than 100,000 people. An unprecedented audience for any women’s sport.

And from a Danish perspective, it is of course sensational that “our” women won the World Cup in football. That the pioneering women for Pernille Harder, Sanne Troelsgaard, and Nadia Nadim are named Birthe Kjems, Lena Schelke, and Asta Vig.

And under the name “Mexikonerne”, these triumphant women still keep in touch and meet every year to mark the day, more than 50 years ago, they won football’s greatest trophy – a feat that has been allowed to stand ever since.

When CPH:DOX shows the film in cinemas across the country during this year’s festival, a handful of the original starting 11 will join. For example, on March 8, we celebrate International Women’s Day together with Grand Teatret by opening up for the very first screening of ‘Copa 71’, where two of the world champions, namely film participants Birthe Kjems and hat-trick scorer Susanne Augustesen, after the screening talk with journalist Sofie Buch Hoyer about being part of an overlooked chapter in Danish football and women’s history.

And on March 13, also at Grand, there is a regular football party when member of the Commission for More Girls in Football Lykke Friis, former national player Katrine Pedersen, communications chief at DBU Jakob Høyer, and the film’s two Danish main characters Birthe Kjems and Ann Stengaard together talk about the development in women’s football and the importance of being able to see oneself in role models and fantastic sports adventures. Podcast host Amalie Bremer is the host and DBU provides red/white merchandise for all attendees. Before the film, we serve a free beer (with/without alcohol) from To Øl.

And ‘Copa 71’ will be shown in cinemas across the country and on several occasions there are arranged talks and debates, where one can hear the women tell about the unusual feat, about the conditions for the country’s amateur football players at the time, and about their continued fight to get FIFA to recognize the World Cup.