BBC Storyville Preview: Coach Zoran and His African Tigers + Q&A

The screening will be followed by a Q&A with director Sam Benstead and editor James Gold, and moderated by Nick Fraser.

Following almost 50 years of civil war, South Sudan became an independent state in July 2011. The young nation formed a national soccer team with the aim to make it on the international stage. The man recruited to get them there is a dynamic and hugely ambitious veteran Serbian coach, Zoran Djordjevic.

Director Sam Benstead follows the team over its first year, from the hunt for new players to the first international games. Zoran’s aggressive and even dictatorial style soon leads to conflict with the chair of the soccer federation and several senior politicians.

As the euphoria of independence subsides, the team finds itself hit by bitter infighting, malaria and a financial crisis that threatens the state itself.

Directed by Sam Benstead
Duration: 75′
Year: 2013

This screening is in partnership with BBC Storyville, the BBC’s international feature documentary strand.