Bill Nighy, Micheal Ward and Sheyi Cole star in the upcoming Netflix film The Beautiful Game, a film based on the real stories of The Homeless World Cup Foundation.
Nighy plays Mal, the manager of England’s homeless football (aka soccer) team. He and his team are preparing to face off in the Homeless World Cup, but their chances of winning increases when a new player joins the team.
Here’s more about the film from Netflix:
Mal (Bill Nighy, Living, About Time) is the manager of England’s homeless football team, taking his players to Rome with the hope of being crowned champions of the Homeless World Cup, a global street soccer tournament. At the last minute he decides to bring with them a talented striker Vinny (Ward), who could give them a real chance at winning, but only if he’s ready to let go of his past and become part of the team. Made with the support of the Homeless World Cup, The Beautiful Game is a film of second chances – where homeless teams from around the world find that all roads lead to Rome, and everything’s to play for.
The film also stars Susan Wokoma, Callum Scott Howells, Kit Young, Sheyi Cole, Tom Vaughan-Lawlor, Robin Nazari, Aoi Okuyama, Cristina Rodlo, Tadashi Watanabe, Kazuhiro Muroyama and Valeria Golino. The film is directed by Thea Sharrock and is written by Frank Cottrell Boyce.
Diarmuid McKeown, Claudine Farrell and Ollie Madden executive produce along with Film4’s Daniel Battsek. Graham Broadbent, Pete Czernin and Ben Knight produce for Blueprint Pictures with Anita Overland and Colin Farrell.
The history behind the Homeless World Cup Foundation started in 2001 when the foundation was founded. The first Homeless World Cup took place in 2003 in Graz, Austria. The foundation’s goal is to use football “to support and inspire people who are homeless to change their own lives, and to change perceptions and attitudes towards people who are experiencing homelessness.”
The foundation is comprised of a “Global Network” of 70 member countries that utilize football to battle homelessness and social isolation. The Homeless World cup has taken place all across the world, with the 2024 Homeless World Cup taking place in Seoul, S. Korea.
The Beautiful Game comes to Netflix March 29, 2024.
Watch the trailer below:
