Africa United (2005)

An enchanting journey into the dreams and aspirations of a football-crazy coach and his colorful ensemble of players who have to overcome their egos - and hot blood - for a true team spirit.

Director:

Olaf de Fleur Johannesson (as Ólafur Jóhannesson)

Writer:

Olaf de Fleur Johannesson (as Olaf de Fleur)

Stars:

Einar Xavier Sveinsson, Saint Paul Edeh, Zakaria Anbari

1 win & 3 nominations.

Cast

Credited cast:
Einar Xavier Sveinsson	...	Himself
Saint Paul Edeh	...	Himself (as St Paul Edeh)
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Zakaria Anbari	...	Zico
Cheik Bangoura	...	Himself
Arnar Björnsson	...	Himself
St Paul Edeh	...	Paul
Mohamed Jónas El Asri	...	Himself
Alhagie Abdoulie Joof	...	Himself
Zlatko Krickic	...	Zlatko
Alexander Munos	...	Alex
Ólafur Magnús Ólafsson	...	Himself

Storyline

Zico came to Iceland from Marocco to seek his fortune. After ten years Zico becomes bankrupt, meaning he can't work anymore. Left desperate and depressed Zico decides to bring life to his amateur team called Africa United and take them into the semi-professional 3rd division. He calls upon immigrants all-over Iceland, players from Marocco, Nigeria, Columbia, Serbia, Kosovo, Gambia and Guinea to help realize his vision.

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Plot Keywords:

iceland | coach | immigrant | soccer | athlete | 

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Taglines:

They're here to play football, not to make mistakes.

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Genres:

Comedy | Sport

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

Iceland

Language:

Icelandic English

Release Date:

21 October 2005 (Iceland)

Also Known As:

Afrika junajted

Filming Locations:

Iceland

Box Office

Budget:

$320,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Poppoli Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

80 min (original)

Sound Mix:

Stereo Stereo (RCA Sound System)

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

User Reviews

Documentary vs. Mockumentary

I just wanted to set a couple of things straight, since not everyone may be in the position to read in-depth interviews with the creators of this film. It was quite popular here in Iceland so there was a lot of discussion regarding its factual accuracy.

Basically, it is a retelling of a true story mixed in with fiction and real ad lib moments. The team exists, the players play themselves, etc. - it's just that they have a script to work from.

While it's a slightly confusing and frustrating approach, I find it works well overall. The film itself has its strengths, such as the characters being believable and sympathetic (albeit for obvious reasons), but ultimately falls short of being everything it could have been. Perhaps less scripting would have made it a more engaging experience.