EIGHTEAM

By Juan RODRIGUEZ-BRISO

OMNICORP ESTUDIO - as PROD

Biography - Completed 2015

"Eighteam" narrates the resurrection of Zambia's national football team embodied in its star, Kalusha, after losing 18 teammates in a plane crash in Gabon in 1993. 18 years later destiny makes its move: in Gabon, Zambia becomes African Champion after a long 18 penalty-shoot-out.

Festivals
& Awards

Valladolid 2014
CASTILLA Y LEON EN LARGO
THINKING FOOTBALL BILBAO 2014
OFFICIAL SELECTION
OFFSIDE FEST 2015
AUDIENCE AWARD
INTERNATIONAL DOCUMENTARY INDONESIA 2015
GOLD AWARD
MINUTO 90 FILM FESTIVAL 2015
BEST DOCUMENTARY
Silicon Valley Film Festival 2015
BEST DOCUMENTARY
AFRICAN FILM FESTIVAL 2015
BEST DOCUMENTARY
    • Year of production
    • 2015
    • Genres
    • Biography, Documentary
    • Countries
    • SPAIN, ZAMBIA
    • Languages
    • ENGLISH, SPANISH, ITALIAN
    • Duration
    • 70 mn
    • Director(s)
    • Juan RODRIGUEZ-BRISO
    • Writer(s)
    • Juan RODRIGUEZ-BRISO
    • Producer(s)
    • Juan RODRIGUEZ-BRISO (OMNICORP ESTUDIO), Ngosa CHUNGU (PURPLE TEMBO MEDIA)
    • Synopsis
    • "Eighteam” is a documentary film that shows the trip of the Chipolopolo (the “copper bullets", nickname of the zambian national football team in bemba language) from tragedy to the glory.
      The Chipolopolo were a very promising Zambia national
      team that at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul thrashed Italy 4-0. They had their eyes on the 1993 Africa Cup of Nations trophy and a place at their first World Cup. But in 1993 a Zambian Air Force ditched into the Atlantic Ocean about 500 metres offshore from Libreville, Gabon. All passengers and crew, including 18 players, died in the accident. No country has had to deal with a bigger blow to its national team. Yet for Zambia there was no option but to continue.
      The Chipolopolo's captain, Kalusha Bwalya was not aboard the ill-fated flight as he was in the Netherlands playing for PSV at that time and had made separate arrangements to make his own way to Senegal to take part in the match.
      Kalusha put his efforts to build a new team and make a
      professional federation becoming later the national team coach and now president of the Football Association of Zambia (FAZ)
      18 years later, destiny made Zambia a blink: in Gabon, about 500 meters away from the place of the crash, Zambia became African champions for the first time
      after a long penalty shoot-out. Their destiny could no longer be denied: there were 18 penalties.