the goalgetter’s ship -...

TThhee ggooaallggeetttteerr’’ss sshhiipp

Documentary by Heidi Specogna

PPPPRREESSSSRREESSSS KKKKIITTIITT

FAMA FILM AGRolf Schmid

Engelstrasse 52, PostfachCH - 8026 Zürich

Tel.: 0041 (0)44 245 86 60Fax: 0041 (0)44 245 86 66

[email protected]

teamWorx Television & Film GmbHJochen LaubeAlleenstrasse 2D - 71638 LudwigsburgTel.: 0049 7141 299 18 60Fax: 0049 7141 299 18 [email protected]

Content

Logline ......................................................................................................................................................................................... 3

Synopsis ..................................................................................................................................................................................... 4

Director’s notes ..................................................................................................................................................................... 5

Bio- / Filmography Heidi Specogna - writer and director ................................................................. 8

Crew / Credits ........................................................................................................................................................................ 9

Technical information ....................................................................................................................................................... 13

Company profile teamWorx Television & Film GmbH (Production) ............................................ 14

Company profile and filmography FAMA FILM AG (Co-Production) ......................................... 17

PRESS KIT page 2TThhee ggooaallggeetttteerr’’ss sshhiipp

A production by FAMA FILM AG

Logline

A German-African story about dreams, life plans and the trading commodity humans.



Synopsis

In 1964, the island ferry “Nordby” was launched in Denmark. Three

decades later it was taken out of service and sold: to the Nigerian foot-

ball player Jonathan Akpoborie who wished to support his family with the

money earned playing in the German Bundesliga.

He christened the ferry in his mother’s name “Etireno”. Soon afterwards,

the Etireno appeared in the headlines of the international media – as a

suspected child slavery ship off the coast of West Africa. When it beca-

me known who the owner of this ship was, his club VfL Wolfsburg

immediately parted company with its Nigerian striker. The footballer’s guilt

was never proven.

The film reconstructs the events and uses them as an opportunity to

begin a search for the protagonists at the time: What were the conse-

quences of the fateful journey for the children on board the ship? How

did life continue for the Togolese girl Adakou? What does the future hold

today for Nouman, the young boy from Benin? What became of the stri-

ker’s career? And the ferry – does it still exist?

The accounts and meetings create a German-African story about dreams,

life plans and the trading commodity humans.



Director’s notes

The film «The goalgetter’s ship» tells a present-day story with the help ofa story of yesteryear: the scandal surrounding the “Etireno”.

In April 2001, the ship “Etireno” was seized off Gabon and returned to itshome port of Cotonou in Benin. On board were numerous children whowere to be brought to Gabon as labour. Child traficking in the opinion ofTerre des hommes, African tradition in the opinion of the national govern-ment. In Europe the story caused a sensation because the owner of theship was the Nigerian goalgetter Jonathan Akpoborie. At the time he wasplaying for VfL Wolfsburg who sacked him immediately.

The film «The goalgetter’s ship» deals with trading circles, the exchangeof trading commodities: sometimes the commodity is steel, sometimeshumans. Goods that are worth more at their place of destination than attheir place of origin. Be this a discarded Danish island ferry, an Africanfootball talent or children sent away because their families hope this willenable them to survive.

The protagonists in our film are part of these trading circles. They appearin various places and in different positions. The film tells of their experi-ence; it interweaves their stories with one another and takes a look atwhere the “Etireno” has taken them.

There are three threads to the story: the story of the ship itself, the storyof the children Adakou and Nouman who were on board the “Etireno”,and the story of Jonathan Akpoborie.

The “Etireno” arrived in Africa in 2000 under its own steam. The topscorerJonathan Akpoborie had bought it for his family in order to secure theirliving. After having displaced children illegaly, the ferry hovered around inthe port of Cotonou. Until it finally started to leak, was sold and is nowwaiting to be scrapped. The steel from the ship’s hull will return toEurope. Here, steel is in urgent demand.



The children arrived on the “Etireno” via traffickers. Their stories of thisjourney still make the adults in the villages catch their breath. But howhas life continued? What perspectives have they had since Terre deshommes took them off the ship and saved them? Where do they see theirfuture? - And what has Terre des Hommes achieved since then in thestruggle for children’s rights and in its dealings with government bodies?

Jonathan Akpoborie has fallen from the pinnacle of the Bundesliga intooblivion. As a result of a suspicion that could never be proven. No won-der that he does not find it easy to talk about this period. More importantis reflection about how an African can survive in Europe, how the rules of European and African society can be brought together. If this cansucceed at all... Akpoborie remains in the circular flow, albeit at a diffe-rent point. He, who, like many African footballers, was once discoveredby a scout, is now himself working as a player agent.

The film «The goalgetter’s ship» tells a story that takes place in Africa(Benin, Togo, Nigeria) and in Europe (Germany, Switzerland and Denmark).However, the names of the continents not only describe filming locationsbut also represent life concepts and ideas of humans which could not bemore different. Here, the attempt to be perceived in as individual a man-ner as possible, to recognise and pursue own interests – there, the ideaof being part of a network of relationships that may offer security butwhich, however, bring above all obligations and dependencies. Here,successful people are congratulated and applauded – there, the suc-cessful are envied and possibly persecuted if they do not immediatelyshare the fruits of their success with everybody: until such time as theyare on a level with the others.



Director’s notes

The film tells of breaks and turning points. They occur wherever an Africanfootball talent develops into a celebrated goal-scorer in the Bundesligaand attempts to live up to his African commitments in a European man-ner. Instead of giving everybody gifts, he buys them a ferry: Helpingpeople to help themselves. Or wherever traffickers enter the wretched villages of Benin to convince parents to give away their children who willsupposedly be able to earn money for everybody in the rich neighbouringcountry. A further beak: an aid organisation that looks after children whowere seized on a footballer’s ferry on the journey to Gabon, succeeds ininfluencing legislation in Benin. On the other hand, however, it attractsinternational criticism because it is a European institution interfering inAfrican matters.

And the ship? Its remains are still buried beneath the sand of the beachin Benin. The intention is for it to be recovered as soon as its new ownerhas enough money: pulled out with heavy machinery, broken down, final-ly transported away in trucks and sold by the tonne. In the meantime,the beach guard Papa Dora will keep a vigilant eye on the rusting scrapparts. In his improvised hut, the old man has spent days staring at thefew parts of the ship protruding out of the water and has had his thoughts:about the ship, the sea, the transitional and the circles in which the livesof people and things move.



Director’s notes

Bio-/Filmography Heidi Specognawriter and director



1959 born in Switzerland. School of journalism in Zurich

1982 - 1987 Studies at Film Academy (DFFB) in Berlin

1987 - 1994 lecturer for editing at Art Academy in Berlin

1990 founded her own production company

Since 2003 lecturer for documentary film at Film Academy Baden-Württemberg andsince 2007 at art school Lucerne

FFiillmmooggrraapphhyy (choice) :

2010 DDiiee EErrmmiittttlleerr, Documentary, 90 min (termination end 2010)

2010 DDaass SScchhiiffff ddeess TToorrjjääggeerrss, Documentary, 90 min

2006 DDaass kkuurrzzee LLeebbeenn ddeess JJoosséé AAnnttoonniioo GGuuttiieerrrreezz, Documentary, 90 minFestivals: Sundance, Locarno, Münchner Filmfest, Rio de Janeiro, Los Angeles, Leipzig, HavannaAwards: Swiss Film Award 2007, Nomination German Film Award 2007, Adolf Grimme Award2008

2004 EEiinnee FFaammiilliieennaannggeelleeggeennhheeiitt, Documentary, 80 min

2004 ZZeeiitt ddeerr rrootteenn NNeellkkeenn, Documentary, 98 min

2000 KKaapprruunn –– ÜÜbbeerr LLeebbeenn nnaacchh ddeerr KKaattaassttrroopphhee, Documentation

1999 JJaannkkooss MMuussiikk, short documentary

1996 TTuuppaammaarrooss, Documentary 95 min (with Rainer Hoffmann)Festivals: Berlinale Panorama 1997, Sydney Filmfestival, IDFA, HavannaAwards: Nomination Best Documentary Havanna 1997

1995 ZZ--MMaann‘‘ss KKiinnddeerr, Feature film, 86 min

1993 DDeecckknnaammee:: RRoossaa, Documentary, 85 minAwards: Cinema Award of the Canton of Berne

1991 TTaanniiaa LLaa GGuueerrrriilllleerraa, Documentary, 90 min

SSccrreeeennppllaayyss::2007 Die Cutterin2002 The Silent Drum1995 Heidi und Pedro1989 Die Gefährtinnen1986 Einen Helden verlässt man nicht

Crew / Credits

PPrroottaaggoonniissttss:Jonathan Akpoborie, Nouman Anato, Adakou Kpodar, Papa Dora

IInntteerrvviieewwss wwiitthh:Peter Pander (Manager VfL Wolfsburg) Sophie Agbidi (Terre des hommes),

Esther Guluma (Unicef)

Writer and director Heidi Specogna

Co-writer Kristine Kretschmer

Director of photography Rainer Hoffmann bvk

Editor Ursula Höf

Sound Paul Oberle, Bernd von Bassewitz

Narration consultant Raimund Barthelmes

Music Hans Koch

Soundmix Matthias Lempert

Sound editor Kai Tebbel

Camera assistant Florian Hoffmann

Sound assistant Ronny Kubis

Editing assistant Julia Karg

Location management Arcade Assogba, Adolphe Apovo (Benin)Lakoname Laré (Togo)

Commissioner Anne Even ZDF/ArteUrs Augstburger SFAlberto Chollet SRG SSR idée suisse

Production manager Karsten Aurich

Executive producer Lisa Grözinger

Producer Jochen Laube

Co-Producer Rolf Schmid



Production coordinator Switzerland Regula Begert

Research Sonja Heizmann

Production assistants Anna Pesavento, Friedemann Goez

Postproduction Supervisor Jochen Felthaus

Production stage Anne Büttner, Alexandra StaibAdriana Galosi

Avid Assistance Christian Abel

Color correction Nadir Mansouri

Online Operator Christian Pfeiffer, Andreas Klatt

Grafics Ilona Fritzsche

Translation Shérif W. Korodowou, Fanik Fangbedji

Transcriptions Philip Kretschmer, Sophie Watzlawick, Lisa Rohwedder

Accountants Evelyn Welz (Deutschland)Stefan Schmid (Schweiz)

Head of Business and Legal Affairs Martin Hartung

Legal Affairs Franziska Tews

Public Relations Anja Käumle

Assistenz Public Relations Anne Wartenberg, Jana Brandes

Archives AP ArchiveBBC Motion GalleryDFL Sports Enterprises GmbHRTL Television / Content FirstLC2 MediasTV Dengang

Laboratory Egli Film AG, Zürich

Mixing studio Sound Design Studios, Ostermundigen



Crew / Credits

TThhaannkkss ttoo

BeninAbimbola Lagunju, Marie Agvessy, Sowanu Nani (Terre des hommes),

Houngbédji Olivier Adjai, Goerges Constant Amoussou, DED Gästehaus

NigeriaE.M.E. Kolajo, Stella Ibeh, Remi Adelabu, Stella Onabulu (Federal Ministry of Information and Communications), Grace Affiong Edet, Joy Akpoborie,

Carlos Bineb Numa

TogoOlivier Feneyrol, Fréderic Baele, Jérôme Combes, Maurille Koudossou,

Emilie Ayitey (Terre des hommes), Suzanne Aho

DenmarkMogens Kierkegaard, Kristian Jensen, Jens Christian Top,

Hans Christian Nondal Egetoft, Ragnhild Kallehauge, Steen Meier, Jens Kristian Meller Thomsen, Verein dänischer Fährenfreunde

SwitzerlandPierre Zwahlen, Leonora Mallias (Terre des hommes),

Mo Ait Bouhou, Patrick Baumann

GermanyGabriele Röthemeyer, Olivier Zeller (MFG), Kirsten Niehuus,

Teresa Hoefert de Turégano (MBB), Christiane Sommer, Diana Falk (FFA), Christine Goldhahn (BKM)

and

Nico Hofmann, Christian Granderath, Holger Krenz, Lena Kräber, Lucia Staubach, Ines Just, Lars Burkardt, Pablo Thiam, Barbara Ertel-Leicht, Kurt Rippholz,

Volker Finke, Reinhild Dettmers-Finke, Jörg Schulze, Stefan Lieberum, Marco Quast,Anneke Reddering, Ute Hornemann, Thomas Kufus, Tobias Büchner,

Claudia Prietzel, Peter Henning, Peter Schmidt, Horst Ehlers, Francois Rossiers,Anna Porzelt, Werner Bern

SSppeecciiaall tthhaannkkss ttooAlfonso Jaggli Gonzales and Elisabeth Pons, Chisinau



Crew / Credits

AA pprroodduuccttiioonn bbyy

teamWorx Television & Film GmbHFAMA FILM AG

Developed by Specogna Filmsupported by FFA Drehbuchförderung

iinn ccoo--pprroodduuccttiioonn wwiitthhZDF

SF Schweizer Fernsehen

iinn ccoollllaabboorraattiioonn wwiitthhArte

ssuuppppoorrtteedd bbyyBeauftragter der Bundesregierung für Kultur und Medien BKM

MFG Filmförderung Baden-WürttembergFFA

Medienboard Berlin-BrandenburgBundesamt für Kultur, Sektion Film

Zürcher Filmstiftung

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© 2010 teamWorx Television & Film GmbH / FAMA FILM AG / ZDF / SF



Crew / Credits

Technical informations

Genre Documentary

Production year 2009 / 2010

Production country Germany

Co-production country Switzerland

Shooting March to May 200932 days

Locations Benin, Togo, Nigeria, Germany (Wolfsburg, Freiburg), Switzerland (Zürich), Denmark

Shooting format HDCam

Screening format 35mm

Languages english, french, african languages, germanenglish / german subtitles

Duration 91min

Length 2’582.11m plus Starts25 p/s

Sound System Dolby Digital

Aspect Ratio: 1: 1.85

Distribution Germany W Film

Distribution Switzerland open



Company profile teamWorx Television & Film GmbHProduction

With more than 140 productions to its name, teamWorx Television & Film GmbH isone of Germany’s foremost TV producers and the European market leader in eventproductions. The company was founded in 1998 by Nico Hofmann, executive produ-cer and Management Chairman, Ariane Krampe, executive producer and DeputyManaging Director, and Wolf Bauer, Managing Director of the UFA. Dr JürgenSchuster also heads the company as a managing director and producer. In addition,Sascha Schwingel, also a member of the executive board, Christian Rohde andChristian Granderath are all members of the team of producers.

teamWorx has steadily expanded its product portfolio since its establishment. Todayit produces high-quality TV movies and fiction programmes with an event character,as well as TV series and serials. Some examples to illustrate the diversity of teamWorxproductions: TV movies such as «Ende der Saison», «Stauffenberg», «Bobby», «ToterMann», «Kein Himmel über Afrika», «Experiment Bootcamp», «Die Mauer - Berlin '61»and «Das Wunder von Berlin», two-part event movies such as «Dresden», «DieSturmflut», «Die Luftbrücke - Nur der Himmel war frei» and «Tornado - Der Zorn desHimmels», the big-screen pictures «Wolfsburg» and «Berlin - Sinfonie einer Großstadt»,and the screen plays «Lulu» and «Baal». Popular TV series and serials such as«Donna Leon» round off the portfolio.

teamWorx has shaped important trends with its lavish event productions, and hashad a formative influence on the German TV landscape. Not only were many of theproductions huge audience favourites, they also won prestigious German and inter-national TV and film awards, some of them repeatedly, such as «Der Tunnel», «DerTanz mit dem Teufel - Die Entführung des Richard Oetker», «Zwei Tage Hoffnung -17. Juni 1953», «Familienkreise» and «Stauffenberg». Two major recent successeswere the anti-war drama «Dresden», which won a German TV Award in 2006 for“Best TV Movie”. The two-part movie drew 12.68 million viewers, a new record forfictional TV productions, and thus became the most-watched TV movie on German



television since 1992. The historical two-part television movie «Die Flucht» starringMaria Furtwängler was also hugely successful with television audiences and criticsalike. Over 12.5 viewers watched the film when it aired in 2007, and it was awardeda number of prizes including the German Television Prize, the 2007 viewers’ choiceBAMBI, the DIVA Award as “TV movie of the year” and the award for “best TV film” atthe 2007 Shanghai Television Festival. teamWorx’ latest productions scheduled to bebroadcast in 2008 include «Mogadischu» (airing on ARD), directed by Roland SusoRichter and starring Thomas Kretschmann, Nadja Uhl, Christian Berkel and JürgenTarrach, the three-part film «Die Patin» (airing on RTL) starring Veronica Ferres (directi-on: Miguel Alexandre), and the new crime series «Unschuldig» (airing on ProSieben)with Alexandra Neldel, Clemens Schick, Erhan Emre and Loretta Stern. «RudiDutschke» (direction: Stefan Krohmer, screenplay: Daniel Nocke), «Grzimek» and «Der Vulkan» are also scheduled to go into production soon.

teamWorx not only stands for outstanding fictional programming, but has also madea name for itself in high-end (corporate) image films. Films commissioned byBertelsmann AG included «The Spirit» and the image film «Catching the Stars», whichwas watched by more than two million people at the Expo 2000 in Hanover and«World of Passion». teamWorx also produced «The Journey» for the RTL Group, aswell as the image film «Just in Time» for the Deutsche Post AG, which won the firstprize in the newcomers category of the 2006 German marketing film competition. InJanuary 2008 teamWorx continued to expand on its activities in the field of imageand advertising films by founding the division teamworx commercial.

Beyond developing and producing its own material and formats, teamWorx is com-mitted to advancing young talent in film and television. Nico Hofmann has lectured atthe Baden-Württemberg Movie Academy as a professor in “project studies of scenicfilm” since 1995. In 2000 he and Bernd Eichinger jointly called the German newco-mer award FIRST STEPS into being. The award is meant to help aspiring directors



Company profile teamWorx Television & Film GmbH

with their first few steps in the business and gave young talents like Stefan Krohmer(Grimme Awards in Gold 2002 and 2004), Sven Taddicken (nominated for theStudent Oscar 2000), Christoph Stark and Sven Bohse an opportunity to adapt theirideas for the screen.

teamWorx has offices in Potsdam, Berlin, Munich, Cologne, Ludwigsburg andLeipzig.



Company profile teamWorx Television & Film GmbH

Company profile and filmography FAMA FILM AG Co-Production

FAMA FILM AG was founded in Bern in 1987 and features a production and a distri-bution division.The company has been based in Zurich since 2000 (before that inBern).

FAMA FILM AG produces and implements independent documentaries and featurefilms for cinema and TV.In addition, the FAMA FILM AG production division acquires material and scripts, provides dramaturgical and/or production consultation for directors and authors, andparticipates in national and international co-produced film projects.

FFiillmmooggrraapphhyy

year title genre director

2010 Trouble no more Feature Andy Bausch

2010 Zwerge sprengen Feature Christof Schertenleib

2010 Der Choreograf HEINZ SPOERLI Documentary Werner Zeindler

2009 Der Fürsorger Feature Lutz Konermann

2009 Perpetuum mobile Shortfilm Sebastian Kenney

2008 Wimper Short animation Marcel Hobi

2007 Die Tunisreise Documentary Bruno Moll

2006 Giraffes Don’t Go To Heaven Short animation Philip Delaquis / John mTimms

2006 Feierabend Shortfilm Alex E. Kleinberger

2005 Der Skifahrer Shortfilm Martin Guggisberg

2004 Fremde im Paradies TV movie Manuel Siebenmann

2004 chyenne Shortfilm Alexander Meier

2004 La femme de Gilles Feature Frédéric Fonteyne

2004 Lücken im Gesetz TV movie Christof Schertenleib

2004 Cattolica Feature Rudolph Jula

2003 Böse Zellen Feature Barbara Albert

2003 Globi Animation Robi Engler

2002 Züri West – am Blues vorus Documentary Annina Furrer / Regula Begert

2002 Bunker Documentary Martina Reuter / Gavin Hodge

2002 Le Club des Chômeurs Feature Andy Bausch




2002 Giuventetgna dultsch utschi TV movie Christian Schocher

2002 Ibiza Shortfilm Bettina Oberli

2002 Brombeerchen Feature Oliver Rihs

2002 Nachts im Park Feature Uwe Janson

2001 Mannheim - New York Documentary Elke Baur

2000 Die wahren Liebhaber TV Documentation Peter Aschwanden

2000 TATORT - Chaos TV movie Christof Schertenleib

2000 Der letzte Sommer TV movie Sascha Weibel

1999 Nordrand Feature Barbara Albert

1999 Une liaison pornographique Feature Frédéric Fonteyne

1999 Grosse Gefühle Feature Christof Schertenleib

1999 Not Vital Documentation Hercli Bundi

1999 TATORT - Alp-Traum TV movie Clemens G. Klopfenstein

1999 Adrian Frutiger TV Documentation Anne Cuneo

1998 Megacities Documentary Michael Glawogger

1998 The Magic Forest Animation Volker Collmann

1998 Elles Feature Luis Galvao Teles

1997 The man in grey Feature Pericles Hoursoglou

1996 La Freccia Azzurra Animation Enzo d'Alò

1996 Lisa Feature Jan Keymeulen

1996 Guevote Documentary Roland Sanchez

1995 Stille Nacht Feature Dani Levy

1995 Reizendes Gift Documentary Priska & Martin Forter

1995 El Techo del Mundo Feature Felipe Vega

1995 Liebe Lügen Feature Christof Schertenleib

1994 Der Stand der Bauern Documentary Christian Iseli

1993 Deckname: Rosa Documentary Heidi Specogna

1993 Geteilte Nacht Feature Pius Morger

1992 Anna annA Feature for children Greti Kläy / Jürgen Brauer

1992 I was on Mars Feature Dani Levy

1991 Tania la Guerrillera Documentary Heidi Specogna



Filmography FAMA FILM AG


1991 Grauholz Documentary Christian Iseli

1991 Billi Shortfilm Priska Forter

1990 Die zukünftigen Glückseligkeiten Feature Fred van der Kooij

1989 Johnny Sturmgewehr Feature Ueli Mamin

1988 RobbyKallePaul Feature Dani Levy

1988 Le terroriste suisse Documentary Christian Iseli

1987 Alpenglühn Documentary S. Horrisberger / N. Wiedmer

PPrroojjeettss eenn ddéévvééllooppppeemmeenntt

Nieder mit den Alpen Documentary Adrian Winkler / Laurin Merz

Gränzgänger Documentary Colette Kalt

Der Lingwurm TV movie Thomas Hess

Gottfried Honegger - on doit construire le monde TV documentary Roman Meyer

May 2010



Filmography FAMA FILM AG

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