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
Teheran im April 2006: Vor mehr als 1000 jubelnden weiblichen Fans findet das erste Freundschaftsspiel der iranischen Frauenfußball Nationalmannschaft gegen eine Auswahl aus Berlin statt. Das Stadion vibriert, die Stimmung ist aufgeladen. Mit "Girl Power" artikuliert sich der Wunsch nach Selbstbestimmung und Gleichberechtigung und es zeigt sich: Veränderungen sind möglich.

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."