Super Village

Directed & Produced by: Kyle Scoble and Cynthia Zhong

Stage:
- Post Production
Location:
- China
Updated: April 16, 2026
Project Type:
- Feature
Project Style:
- Observational
Theme Subject:

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Logline

After going viral in 2023, Cunchao, a grassroots soccer league of ethnic minority villages in rural Southern China must capture its digital popularity. Now, players, fans and streamers utilize social media to turn the moment into a movement, celebrating their community in an increasingly urban and digitized world.

Synopsis

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In the southern mountains of Guizhou, China, soccer has become more than a game; it’s a way of life. Super Village presents a collective portrait of “Cunchao,” a viral grassroots soccer league made up of ethnic villages. The film weaves through players returning from the city, streamers broadcasting games, local college students, and artists preparing for New Year celebrations.

Lang Dong Se Bian is entering a team into Cunchao for the first time. They’ve gathered local businessmen, students, and adults living in Guiyang, the provincial capital a few hours away. A village of only 500 families, the potential publicity and opportunity from the league is huge. While younger players have some experience, none, including the older generation have played in a formal setting. Zaizhong Wu, a journalist covering ethnic minority culture, takes the bullet train from Guiyang to join his hometown team. The level of play in Cunchao is modest, and Se Bian ranks among the weaker sides. Before and after matches, the team gathers at a hotpot restaurant owned by teammate Jintao “Bao” Shi to discuss strategy and their slim qualifying chances.

Rongjiang, a county of only 500,000 people, hosted over 2 million Cunchao tourists the previous year, a huge influx felt by everyone. The farmers market near the stadium captures the juxtaposition at the heart of Rongjiang: old wooden buildings lit by neon, women in traditional ethnic outfits selling vegetables from carts only accepting QR code payments. Traditional life in the digital age. Prices never change at the market, no matter how busy. That’s the Rongjiang way. It’s that authenticity that went viral.

Cunchao’s influence is felt across the region. A local elementary school is building a new soccer field, funded by a businessman from northeastern China who visited during the tournament. Another village produces official Cunchao tea and sells it on TikTok. The league's cultural impact is year-round. This year Rongjiang is hosting it’s first ever New Years gala at Cunchao Stadium and it will get broadcast nationally. In Lang Dong, part of Se Bian, villagers are building massive dragon and phoenix sculptures from rice farming byproducts. Led by artist Youhua Ni for the second year in a row, the project is unpaid but many still pitch in to finish in time.

Streamers at the games barely know the rules, but every night they’re there with babies strapped to their backs, cheering and filming. Ordinary people living their lives. After three games, Se Bian is eliminated. The captain, Jinfan Tian, can’t hold back tears as teammates comfort him. They never expected to go far, but the loss still hurts.

At the New Year gala, the stadium is packed. Nearly every person has a phone out, documenting the celebration. Dong, Miao, Shui, and Bui ethnic groups take turns performing in traditional outfits and playing folk instruments, celebrating the rich culture of Guizhou. The show culminates in a rousing dance as the dragon and phoenix, led by Youhua, parade around the field.

The film ends at the Cunchao stadium—but with a new set of players: kids. One-third of the full field is now a mini pitch. Wu and other players offer guidance while villagers cheer from the sidelines. The Cunchao announcers make sure everyone within a few blocks knows what’s happening. As the children play in the foreground, a long pan across the line of fans closes the film. Outfits range from delivery drivers to traditional ethnic clothes to urban streetwear—capturing Super Village and Cunchao in a single image.

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Background

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Cunchao or “Super Village” is an amateur soccer league of farmers that unexpectedly became a viral symbol for Chinese culture. We first learned about “Cunchao” from a text message, we woke up to videos of Yuxin’s parents visiting a packed stadium in a rural part of the province they lived in. We were amazed, confused and super curious. A stadium overflowing with thousands of people to watch farmers play soccer, in a country not know for it’s love of soccer. We had to go see it for ourselves, not just for the games, but for the energy around them: the food, the music, the sense of pride. People weren’t just showing up for soccer; they were showing up for each other.

In a sea of celebrity online influencers these are normal people using the digital world to preserve their physical space. Soccer is just the backdrop. What we’re really exploring is belonging; how one of the world’s most universal sports becomes a cultural anchor in a time of rapid change. Sports are one of the last public spaces that brings people together in person.This isn’t a political story. It’s a story about celebration, pride, and survival.

Rural places around the world are grappling with the same questions: How do we stay relevant? How do we hold onto our youth? How do we reinvent ourselves without losing who we are?

Cunchao is one community’s answer. What started as a Sunday league has become a cultural movement, drawing millions of viewers online and thousands of fans in person. But the pressures behind its popularity: urbanization, migration and the digital spectacle are shared across borders. Whether in Guizhou, Texas, or southern Italy, rural communities are finding creative ways to be seen. Super Village is hyper-local, but its story is global. We also hope the film offers a new way to see China. It bypasses geopolitics and presents people as they are: complex, joyful and determined. By leaning into observational storytelling, we let audiences draw their own conclusions.

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Style & Tone

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Super Village is a love letter to a time and place, immersing viewers in the mesmerizing and inspiring world of Cunchao through verité and observational cinema. Using minimal interviews and voice over, the film allows audiences to experience the rhythms of daily life in Rongjiang County as they unfold. Voiceover and title cards provide essential context, but the characters speak for themselves, leaving viewers to form their own interpretations.

Structurally, the film moves forward with time, following Langdon Se Bien village as they attempt to qualify for the 2024 Cunchao tournament. However, the focus extends far beyond the field, spending more time with the people and their surroundings than on the competition itself. Many characters appear only briefly, reflecting the fluid, impressionistic nature of life. Inspired by Hale County This Morning, This Evening, Ascension, and Sacro GRA, Super Village moves beyond conventional storytelling, embracing a non-narrative approach that prioritizes atmosphere and lived experience over traditional plot progression.

Though the film follows a team and their qualification journey, Super Village is not a sports documentary. Instead, it uses soccer as a backdrop; a universal entry point for audiences, much like the stadium serves as a gathering place for Cunchao’s fans. By shifting the focus to the people, the film highlights the power of observational cinema to create a reflective and immersive mood.

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Stills

Team

Kyle Scoble

Director & Producer

Team

Kyle Scoble

Director & Producer

Kyle is a documentary filmmaker based in Los Angeles, California. He grew up on an island in the Puget Sound and got his undergrad degree at Occidental College, where he received a BA in Media, Arts & Culture. After completing a master's degree in documentary film from Chapman University’s Dodge Film School, he spent two seasons as an editor for the National Football League’s digital team. He was the lead AE and archival producer on the HBO Max original documentary “Bamarush." Currently Kyle is an assistant editor on an unnamed feature documentary for Box to Box Films and is in the process of finishing his first feature documentary.

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Cynthia Zhong

Director & Producer

Team

Cynthia Zhong

Director & Producer

Cynthia Zhong is addicted to story telling. She graduated from Chapman University with MFA degree in editing. She edited some short fiction films and short documentaries which got into many film festivals. Currently she is working on a feature documentary and a feature fiction film as an assistant editor. She is a working machine with a good vibe.

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Alice Chen

Associate Producer & Additional Camera

Team

Alice Chen

Associate Producer & Additional Camera

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David Oh

Colorist

Team

David Oh

Colorist

David Oh is a film colourist based in Los Angeles and Seoul, working at MakeMake Color since 2021.

Known for his film-driven approach, David prioritizes contrast in luminance to build depth and dimensionality, creating images that feel textured and cinematic rather than overly stylized. He pays particular attention to skin tones, shaping color palettes that enhance the subject while maintaining natural integrity.

Before grading, David develops tailored visual references to align closely with the director and cinematographer’s intent. While he brings a strong personal sensitivity to filmic texture and tonal structure, he adapts fluidly to each project’s needs, ensuring that the final image supports story, mood, and performance above all.

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Sam Bishoff

Composer

Team

Sam Bishoff

Composer

Sam Bishoff is a composer and multi-instrumentalist based in New York City. He is a composer and supervising music editor at Konsonant Music + Post having worked with Gil Talmi and Andrew Gross on projects such as Manhood, Gone Girls: The Long Island Serial Killer (Netflix), Wild Wild Space (HBO), United States of Comedy (PBS Independent Lens), Any Problem is No Problem, Grizzly 399: Queen of the Tetons, #1 Dad(iHeart), and as the assistant score mixer on the Oscar®-nominated documentary Sugarcane.

Sam has also worked under composer Pat Irwin, composing additional music for Dexter: Resurrection and Dexter: Original Sin (Showtime). Sam is a member of the New York Steering Committee for the Society of Composers & Lyricists, having previously served as the chapter administrator for three years. He has scored various shorts, ad spots, and his debut feature film Slaughter Beach won "Best Original Score" at the New Jersey Film Awards. In 2023, he assisted composer Jonathan Bepler on the Matthew Barney installation Secondary.

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Mengchen Sun

Sound Designer

Team

Mengchen Sun

Sound Designer

Mengchen Sun is a LA based sound editor and re-recording mixer, a 2023 MPSE Verna Fields student Award nominee. She believes sympathy is the key of filmmaking.

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Brian Skvarla

GFX

Team

Brian Skvarla

GFX

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Mary Wall

Story Consultant

Team

Mary Wall

Story Consultant

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Budget

This section includes information about this project.

Director editing screenplay impact story narrative camera cinema festival. Narrative team narrative visual cinema independent production screenplay festival narrative team team narrative.

Rights

This section includes information about this project.

Doc production impact journey narrative director creative team doc production. Creative film journey narrative creative screenplay project award doc film creative award story camera visual screenplay.

Our Ask

Super Village is in the finishing phase with an expected completion in early February 2026. The film has been self funded and the directors have complete ownership of the film. We are actively looking to add impact and distribution partners to our team as we strongly believe this film has a lot of potential for a life after festivals. Please reach out to the team if you any experience, ideas or interest in the film.

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Super Village

Logline

Stills

Team

Kyle Scoble

Kyle Scoble

Cynthia Zhong

Cynthia Zhong

Alice Chen

Alice Chen

David Oh

David Oh

Sam Bishoff

Sam Bishoff

Mengchen Sun

Mengchen Sun

Brian Skvarla

Brian Skvarla

Mary Wall

Mary Wall

Budget

Rights

Our Ask