PRIX EUROPA IRIS
Best Multicultural Television Programme of the Year 2009
Donated by the Nederlandse Programma Stichting - NPS

Football under Cover / Anstoss in Teheran
Rundfunk Berlin Brandenburg - RBB, Germany;
by: Ayat Najafi, Marlene Assmann (authors); Ayat Najafi, David Assmann (directors), Dagmar Mielke, Jens Stubenrauch (commissioning editors), Patrick Merkle (producer); produced by Flying Moon Filmprodukt., co-produced by Assmann, RBB /ARTE

Synopsis
Tehran in April 2006: The first official friendly takes place between the Iranian women’s football team and a local Berlin girl’s team, in front of more than 1,000 cheering female fans. The entire stadium is electric, charged with a high voltage of girl power. Both the desire for self- determination and equality are being expressed here and it is clear: change is possible.

Citation by the Jury
"Humour is a powerful tool for film-makers. And this film uses it expertly and confidently to distil the often complex subject of multi-culturalism, bringing a humanity and understanding to the screen. 

With wonderful characters and their stories punctuating the screen, this is a film which explores a mixture of powerful human values: the desire for freedom; following one’s dreams; and equality.

On the face of it, it’s a film documenting the organising of a special football match:  between two women teams, one Iranian and the other from Germany.

But the film moves beyond the playing pitch to capture a compelling story about human beings from the very contrasting cultures of the west and the Middle East. When the two teams meet we discover a certain truth: that whatever the country or circumstance you come from, we share the same values."