O – LYM – PIC
From Belmore to Bundesliga
A story of youth football in Australia
Essential viewing for all aspiring football players, featuring former Socceroo captain Alex Tobin, FC Schalke 04 coach Sam Farokhi and former Olympic, Liverpool and Crystal Palace player Nick Rizzo, this is a story of youth football and its multicultural history in Australia, as the filmmaker follows a group of 10-year-old underdogs from Sydney Olympic FC on a whirlwind tour as they take on junior teams from some of the powerhouses of the Bundesliga and European clubs.
Currently in post-production and due to be released in 2021
Written, directed and produced by Janet Merewether
Produced by Screen Culture Pty Limited
SYNOPSIS
This dynamic documentary charts the highs and lows of an ambitious and talented group of football players from Sydney Olympic FC as they go on tour, competing against Under 11 youth teams from well-resourced giants of the Bundesliga and European football at Poland’s prestigious Legia Cup. The boys from Sydney play a series of warm-up matches against German giants Hannover 96, Borussia Dortmund, FC Schalke 04, RB Leipzig and Hertha Berlin, before valiantly competing against
youth teams from Legia, Benfica, Ajax, Sparta Prague at the prestigious Legia Cup in Warsaw, where other talented teams from Juventus, Manchester United and Anderlecht also participate.
A true David and Goliath story, the documentary examines the challenges faced by Australia’s national teams on the world stage, and the high price-tag of participating in the round-ball game at an elite level in Australia. The documentary compares the Australian ‘pay to play’ system with merit-based German development programs which do not discriminate based on a family’s wealth, and where coaches describe themselves as ‘educators’ with a high level of training, accreditation, and expertise.
Featuring valuable insights and interviews with some of Australia, Germany, and the UK’s leading youth coaches, O-LYM-PIC – From Belmore to Bundesliga features players who undoubtedly will become the European football stars of the future.
The documentary reflects on the multicultural development of the ‘world game’ in this country, the dreams of aspiring players and their professional development, and the positive future for Women’s football in this country. O-LYM-PIC – From Belmore to Bundesliga is compelling viewing for young and old players and fans with an interest in the history of football and sporting culture in Australia.
© Screen Culture / Janet Merewether
THE PARTICIPANTS
Cast
Featuring interviews with leading players and coaches including:
Alex Tobin OAM, Sam Farokhi (FC Schalke 04), Nick Rizzo, Tom Stuckey – RB Leipzig
Florian Kliche – Hertha Berlin
Crew
Director, Producer, Writer – Janet Merewether
Cinematographer and Designer – Janet Merewether
Editors – Walter McIntosh with Janet Merewether with additional editing by Peter Humble
Music – Dappled Cities
Mix – Rob Sullivan
TECHNICAL
Length – 92mins (feature documentary / TV version)
Format – HD 16:9
Release date – 2021
Production Company – Screen Culture Pty Limited
Contact: Olympic@belmore2bundesliga.com
Contact the filmmaker
Janet Merewether, Screen Culture Pty Limited
JANET MEREWETHER
Dr. Janet Merewether is an award-winning filmmaker, media artist, designer, and academic.
Her film, digital art, and documentary works produced by Go Girl Productions and Screen Culture include Jabe Babe – A Heightened Life and Maverick Mother, garnering numerous Australian and international prizes including ATOM, IF, AFI, and TIDF Awards. Her films and videos have won awards at the Sydney Film Festival and Videobrasil, have enjoyed retrospectives in Taipei, Berlin, Boston, and Australia, as well as being invited to the New York Film Festival, New Directors/New Films MoMA, Tampere, Uppsala, EMAF, Impakt, Sheffield Doc/Fest, DOK Leipzig, and TIDF.
A graduate of the AFTRS, Merewether completed her doctoral degree at UTS in 2008 on the subject of innovative hybrid documentary and continues to explore new visual strategies in television, media art and feature documentary.
ABOUT SCREEN CULTURE
Screen Culture Pty Limited produces quality creative film, television, books and media art projects for Australian and International audiences.
Screen Culture, founded by award-winning writer/ director/ producer Janet Merewether in 2007, is engaged in the production of visually creative, quality long-form documentary and media for the Australian and International marketplace. Screen Culture’s productions are distinctively provocative, progressive and playful.
The company promotes the creative expression of ideas through the integration of sophisticated visual design with compelling storytelling. Documentary projects include Maverick Mother (2007), Reindeer in my Saami Heart (2016), O-LYM-PIC – From Belmore to Bundesliga (2021, in post-production)
