Airdate: This is Football

Next month Amazon Prime Video will screen This Is Football, a six-part documentary exploring the emotions, stories, passions and triumphs at the heart of soccer.

This is Football, is produced by British indie October Films in collaboration with Spain’s Brutal Media (NB: it also has a coffee retailer as a key investor).

“The universal appeal of football is something we know resonates strongly with the Amazon Prime Video audience worldwide, so I’m delighted that we are able to bring this fascinating six-part series of unique stories about the world’s most talked about sport exclusively to Prime Video,” said Vernon Sanders, Co-Head of Television, Amazon Studios. “We’re thrilled to add This is Football to our stable of award-winning docu-series and live sports for Prime Video audiences around the world.”

Adam Bullmore, Managing Director of October Films and Executive Producer said: “Football is now a universal language and everywhere you look, football is touching lives and inspiring us in remarkable ways. So, we’re thrilled to be partnering with Amazon Studios and Starbucks to bring these stories to a global audience.”

Raimon Masllorens, CEO of Brutal Media and Executive Producer highlighted: “We cannot be more proud to have teamed-up with our amazing partners for such a great match. It’s really a dream come true that one of our most beloved projects, cooked in-house for such a long time, is now a top tier TV series that will get to every home in the world. Thanks to this team work I’m sure This Is Football will spread the magic of football and their human stories among diverse and massive audiences around the globe.”

This Is Football (6×60’) unpacks the unique phenomenon that grips and unifies billions of people from every corner of the globe. Across the episodes universal themes of the human experience are explored: Redemption – football’s uplifting role in rebuilding the soul of Rwanda after the genocide, Belief – the inspirational rise of women’s football and two teams who gave everything to make it happen, Chance – the agony and the ecstasy of the fates that humble champions and keep every fan believing in the impossible, Love – four stories from every corner of the earth where the love of the game transcends adversity, Pride – how Iceland’s football Vikings take on the world and give every underdog hope, and Wonder – unlocking the secrets of Lionel Messi’s genius and the global delight of watching him play. Each story unfolds dramatically through the experience of men and women of different races, cultures and creeds, all of them remarkable, all of them united in their passion for football and chosen from every continent on Earth.

The series is written and co-created by award-winning foreign correspondent and sports author John Carlin (Invictus), based on an original idea by Carlin and Raimon Masllorens. The films are directed by a team of award winning directors and producers led by Creative Director James Erskine (One Night in Turin, Le Mans: Racing is Everything) and Series Executive Producer Jos Cushing (Mygrations, Walking The Nile/Himalayas/Americas). The series is scored by Grammy Award-winning and Emmy-nominated composer Lorne Balfe (Mission Impossible: Fallout, Churchill, The Queen).

Filmed across the globe from Iceland to Argentina, Spain to Rwanda, China to the United States, and including a glittering cast of characters from legendary players to presidents, poets to priests, managers to mathematicians – This is Football creates a unique and timeless portrait of the game and humanity itself.

Friday August 2 on Amazon Prime.