The Wild Soccer Bunch

OT: Die wilden Kerle | Feature Film | 2003

School’s out and, for a motley crew of carefree six-to-ten-year olds, soccer ‘rules’! These kids are convinced they’re the local dream team and there’s nothing they love more than kicking it up a notch. “If you want to be cool, you got to be wild”. But this vacation brings them more than their fair share of bad luck. There’s the relentless rain which turns their field into a sea of mud. They have to deal with parents who simply don’t appreciate their love of the game. And when the sun finally does come out, their pitch has been taken by a gang of boys who are older, bigger, rougher and just plain mean. Even though they don’t stand a chance, the boys challenge them to a match to settle the matter. Now all they have to do is win. They talk Willy, a down-on-his-luck ex-soccer pro, into being their trainer and he works wonders with them. But just when it looks as if they might actually pull it off, egos flare and the boys start fighting among themselves. When you’re hot you’re hot and when you’re not, you’re not. Everything that could possibly go wrong, does. They fire Willy and things get even worse. And then there’s the girl – a girl – who’s determined to play on their side. But are they going to let it all get them down? No way. Win or loose, they’re going to give their best shot. “If you want to be cool, you got to be wild”.

Awards:

• Children’s Media Award “The White Elephant” 2003
• VGF Young Producers Award from the Bavarian Film Awards 2003
• Nomination for the German Film Award 2004 in the category “Best Children’s and Youth Film”
• “The Golden Griffin” in the category “Kidz” of the 34th Giffoni Film Festival 2004 (Italy)

Facts:

Release Date: October 2nd, 2003
Distributor: Buena Vista International

Crew:

Production: SamFilm
Producers: Ewa Karlström , Andreas Ulmke-Smeaton
Director: Joachim Masannek
Screenplay: Joachim Masannek
Line Producer: Karlheinz Ganzer
DoP: Sonja Rom
Editor: Alex Berner
Production Manager:
Production Design: Winfried Henning
Music: Bananafishbones, Gert Wilden jr.