The movie was produced by Anant Singh, South Africa's most accomplished film producers. Singh has been involved with films that include Sarafina, Cry the Beloved Country, Red Dust, I Capture the Castle and the Oscar-nominated Yesterday.
The docu-drama is about the political prisoners on the island and power that football had, giving hope and strength to its imprisoned inhabitants.
Singh recently pre-screened the film for executives of the world governing body of football in Zurich and met Fifa president, Sepp Blatter, who commented, “What happened on Robben Island was a revealing example showing that football is much more than just a game. For the ‘Freedom fighters’, it was about dignity, respect, fun and hope in a space where humanity was surviving in the middle of oppression and infamy.
“In the world of today so divided and so unfair, football can teach us a lot on the universality and the solidarity embodied in the values and principles of our sport. The docu-drama is a beautiful project that Fifa is proud to support.”
The premiere will be attended by the original five Robben Islanders on whom the film is based, Mark Shinners, Anthony Suze, Lizo Sitoto, Sedick Isaacs and Marcus Solomon, as well as the actors that play them - Presley Chweneyagae, Wright Ngubeni, Az Abrahams, Tshepo Maseko and Merlin Balie.
