About the Director
Eugene Martin is a filmmaker whose work looks intimately at issues of youth, the inner city, poverty, and social justice. His debut short film, Cynthia’s Window, was an official selection at the 1990 Berlin Film Festival. Martin’s debut narrative feature film, Two Plus One, screened at the inaugural Slamdance Film Festival. Edge City, Martin’s second narrative feature, won the Grand Jury Prize at the Hamptons International Film Festival. In 2001 Diary of a City Priest was an official selection at the Sundance Film Festival. The Other America was featured as the opening night film at the 2004 Slamdance Film Festival. Major funders include The Independent Television Service (ITVS), The Philadelphia Foundation, the Pennsylvania Council on the Arts, the American Motion Picture Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Sundance Documentary Fund.
Martin is an avid soccer fan and soccer dad. He grew up in an urban area and played soccer in the streets. He got introduced to coaching through his children, and at age 6, his daughter started to play. He decided to help coach, and his teams used to play The Anderson Monarchs. After several years of being routinely beaten by The Monarchs, Martin developed a relationship with Coach Walter Stewart, and from there the idea to make a film was started. Martin and his family lived in London for a semester. His daughter played for a local North London football club that was coached by a former Arsenal Ladies player. Naturally Martin became an Arsenal fan and can be spotted wearing his Gunners gear several times a week while he attends his daughters soccer matches for club and high school in North Texas.
