A new feature film, produced by Oscar-winner Andres Vicente Gomez, has begun filming in Saudi Arabia with plans to shoot in Dubai next month. Champions tells the story of Khaled, an assistant coach at Saudi Arabia's top football league, who has to train a group of players with intellectual disabilities.
The movie is a remake of Spanish top-grossing film Campeones. It has been adapted to the Arab market by Saudi scriptwriters Maram Taibah and Wael Al Saeed, and is directed by Manuel Calvo, who was part of the directorial team on the Oscar-nominated film Pain and Glory.
Gomez says the original film made an impact with its positive message and shifted the perception of people with disabilities. "We're hoping for a similar reaction to Champions," he tells The National. "It will show the potential and spirit of people with intellectual disabilities; to show what they are capable of and how they should be celebrated as heroes."
According to Gomez, the original film grossed four times its budget at the Spanish box office. But it wasn’t just commercial success and the social impact of the original that inspired filmmakers to remake the movie, but also the success story of Saudi Arabia's football team comprised of players with intellectual disabilities.
"[They] won the INAS [International Sports Federation for Persons with Intellectual Disability] world football championship four times in a row," says Gomez. "In the original Spanish film, basketball is the sport around which the story revolves. We knew that football had a much stronger following here, so we changed the story so it would be about a football team."
This is not Gomez's first time working on an Arab film. Last year, he produced Born a King, a film that tells the story of Prince Faisal's trip to London when he was 13 years old.
Champions will star Yassir Al Saggaf, host of MBC talent show The Voice, alongside Fatima Al Banawi of Barakah Meets Barakah. The film will also feature several people with disabilities, many of whom were recruited from the Help Centre in Jeddah.
“We didn’t want to use professional actors to portray people with special needs,” Gomez says. “That would go against the message the movie is trying to send. And, really, the boys are great actors. The film and its main characters set an example for the rest of society through their sense of humour, kindness and respect.”
Shooting began 10 days ago in Saudi Arabia and production will kick off in Dubai at the end of next month. Gomez says that the last quarter of the film is set in the emirate.
The film will have its theatrical release on Wednesday, September 23, coinciding with Saudi Arabia's national day.
It will be distributed by Vox Cinemas before being available to stream on MBC Shahid.
