Winner (2024) is a short film directed by Marianna Simnett, inspired by Graham Greene’s 1954 short story “The Destructors.” The film transposes the original post-war London setting to a contemporary football pitch, focusing on a group known as the Cock Squad, led by newcomer Trevor. Their mission is to dismantle Misery the Referee’s house of red and yellow cards. Through this narrative, the film explores themes such as socially constructed power hierarchies, crowd psychology, and the relentless pressure to perform. Utilizing dance, “Winner” reinterprets football’s most intense moments—elation, triumph, brutality, ferocity, suffering, and defeat—into a radical cinematic experience.

The project originated as a five-screen video installation for Berlin’s Hamburger Bahnhof museum. This marks the third collaboration between Simnett and director of photography Robbie Ryan. Produced by Sybella Stevens for VERS, with executive producer Jannis Birsner and co-producer Tine Mikkelsen, “Winner” showcases a unique blend of visual storytelling and thematic depth.