The film producer has handed the agency a brief to support ‘Death Match – Kolja’s War’, a film about the famous game that saw ex-footballers from Kiev take on a team of German soldiers at the height of the war in 1942.
The Ukranians won the match, but several of the players were said to have been executed or tortured after the game in revenge and are remembered as national heroes.
Former European Footballer of the Year Andriy Shevchenko has committed to playing one of the footballers in the film. Ukranian pole-vaunting legend and IOC board member Sergey Bubka has also signed on to become a patron and ambassador for the film.
Death Match is set for production in June/July/August 2011 and for release in the early summer of 2012. The film’s premiere is planned during the time of the UEFA Euro 2012 tournament, to be hosted by Ukraine and Poland.
A major open-air film premiere is also scheduled to be held at the Olympus Stadium in Kiev on the evening of 22 June 2012, the 70th anniversary of the first bombing of Kiev by the German air force, shown in the opening scene of the movie.
Calacus director David Alexander commented: 'We are very excited to be working with Hope & Glory Pictures and will provide support and guidance as they look to promote the film production. The Death Match story is both poignant and timely, given that the Euro 2012 takes place when the film is set to have its premiere.'
Raphael Socha, co-owner of H&G and director of the film, said: ‘This is a very personal project for Anya and myself. Our family background goes back to Eastern Europe and Russia and several of our ancestors fought, suffered and died in battles and under torture during WWII, in some cases even had to fight against each other.’
