Goud (2007)

In October 2006, the Dutch women’s hockey team became world champions for the first time in 16 years. Niek Koppen’s documentary about the period leading up to this victory begins with the celebrations accompanying their arrival as champions at Amsterdam Airport. He then leaps 10 weeks back in time to the start of intensive preparations for the World Cup. Koppen uses neither comments nor interviews, but the extensive access to his subjects lets him show how excited the players and the technical staff are about the competition in Spain. Rather than focusing primarily on the sport itself, the director highlights the difficult process the team is going through.