For over five decades, different generations of adidas fans have speculated as to whether the brand’s name is an acronym for ‘All Day I Dream About Sport’. Now, longtime adidas collaborator Pharrell Williams has enlisted London-based photographer and filmmaker Gabriel Moses to direct a new short film using a title inspired by the acronym and cultural myth.

Set against the spirited backdrop of Dakar, Senegal, All Day I Dream About Sport dives into the essence of human connection through West African culture – exploring themes of sports, culture, life, and death. Opening with a moving, visually striking scene which emulates life beginning in a mother’s womb captured through a 3D ultrasound, the film follows an unscripted narrative arc and features a local cast.

“I like to work from a very honest point of view. It’s important for me to meet people on the ground, meet the crew, understand who we are working with,” explains Moses of his creative process. “We can sit down, and we can write all day, and we can create ideas but for me, my work always needs to feel human and without the people, there’s nothing. It was a great experience to visit Senegal and understand how I wanted to present that location to the world.”

With a nod to West African agriculture, the film mirrors nature’s cyclical patterns, accompanied by three original tracks produced by Pharrell. “The film has two original compositions and one song with Pusha-T called ‘Mike Tyson Blow to the Face’,” says Williams. “adidas is one of the only brands in this space thinking about things like this. The spirit of adidas and the human beings that wake up every daydreaming about this is what it’s all about and musically I wanted to make sure that was felt. No matter what culture you’re looking at on the screen, I wanted to make sure the viewer felt that; that they could feel that the future is ours.”

Following the tender opening, the film transitions into a range of emotive and lively scenes depicting the energetic motions of childhood – kids sprinting through fields, leaping across frames, and girls in tutus dancing gracefully. As the narrative progresses, it shifts focus to the vulnerability and disciplined grace of boxers, reflecting the cultural structures that shape us as we grow. 

In its final moments, the film shifts from the steady beep of a hospital monitor to an old man rising from his bed, sprinting through his past memories. “This is an art film that has narrative moments. it references sport but it’s the sport of everyday life,” Moses says. “It’s not necessarily about the competition but it’s the way in which we are all athletes at the end of the day. Everyone can relate to this film purely because it’s set in Africa; it’s a universal language and a universal story of moments we have all experienced. There’s a universalism that we wanted to translate within the film.”

Blending visual storytelling and cultural exploration, Williams and Moses take audiences through an athlete’s life journey, from the first breath of life to being carried away in a coffin. “Our ancestors were categorised based on their propensities,” adds Williams. “One person can cook, one person can run fast, this person is good in the field, this person is a botanist. And they dreamt about what they were doing, they dreamt about their sport. That’s where we are right now; we are our ancestors’ dreams.” At its core, All Day I Dream About Sport is a celebration of the quotidian beauty in sportsmanship, a message which resonates with this year’s Olympic festivities. 

While the film is officially released towards the end of the year, there will be special preview showings at the end of this month – Friday August 29 to Sunday August 31 – at 9pm at 50 Rue Rambuteau in Paris.

Watch the trailer above.