Venus and Serena Williams join forces with Will Smith & Jada Pinkett Smith for new documentary

The documentary, COPA 71, is based on the story of the 1971 women’s soccer World Cup

Venus Williame and Serena Williams at the 94th Annual Academy Awards in Los Angeles in March 2022 Image Credit: Imago / Panoramic

Haresh Ramchandani

February 20, 2023

Venus and Serena Williams are set to serve don the role of executive producers once again – this time to produce the documentary COPA 71, which is based on the story of the 1971 women’s soccer World Cup.

The sisters will work with Will Smith and Jada Pinkett Smith’s Westbrook Studios on the project and is their second foray into the movie business after the biopic on their father ‘King Richard’, for which Will Smith went on to win the Best Actor Oscar last year.

The 1971 World Cup took place in Mexico City and was attended by over 100,000 spectators. The tournament was won by Denmark, who defeated Mexico in the final. The documentary will be co-directed by James Erskine and Rachel Ramsay.

“Copa 71 tells the story of one of the most inspirational and significant moments in women’s sports history,” Serena Williams said as quoted by Variety. “It’s an honor to partner with my sisters and Westbrook Studios to help bring this magical story to light, which has been buried for far too long.”

“When I heard about the 1971 Women’s World Cup, I couldn’t believe this incredible story was erased from our history books,” Venus Williams said. “I’m excited to team with my sisters and Westbrook Studios to help elevate and empower fellow female athletes and their accomplishments, and to make sure these women have their voices heard through this inspiring documentary.”

Serena Williams, who has not played since the US Open, was most recently in the news for her two commercials during Super Bowl LVII. Venus Williams, who last played the ASB Classic in January, has been recovering from her an injury, and is yet to announce her upcoming schedule.

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