18/01/2011

Award winning filmmaker Tim Pritchard’s feature Street Kids United has been chosen by the Berlinale 2011 for a special screening in the Generation strand.

The film looks at the Street Child World Cup football tournament held in 2010 in South Africa and was shot in Durban by UK production house Film and Music Entertainment (F&ME).

The film is produced by Sam Taylor, Mike Downey and Sandy Markwick and co-produced by Cat Cooper of Wales-based Elfin Productions and in South Africa by Rachel Young and Tendeka Matatu of Cape Town’s Ten10 Films. World Sales are being handled by The Little Film Company.

F&ME’s Downey said, “No game lays claim to being a ‘world game’ more than football. It is truly a globalised phenomenon from the glitter and riches of the European leagues to the dreams of children growing up in third world poverty. Football’s appeal extends across nations, cultures, religion and class. We hope this film will do the same. And in doing so, give a voice to street children all over the world.”

Pritchard said, “We worked very closely with the South African street children’s charity Umthombo. Umthombo is named after a tree which grows in desert areas. It is a symbol of hope, of life sustained despite the harshest conditions. The Umthombo team offer friendship and support to the children and young people. By gently gaining their trust the team have been able to help hundreds of children find a way back to their home communities or to somewhere they can feel safe again. The world cup project is just one of the key weapons in their armoury. We hope that some of the young homeless protagonists of the film will come with us to Berlin to draw attention to their plight.”