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Synopsis

These days, a real billionaire has to own a soccer team. Russian oligarch Roman Abramovich bought the English Chelsea, Georgian Merab Jordania bought the Dutch Vitesse; and Ukrainian billionaire Rinat Akhmetov pumped many millions into his hobby, Shakhtar Donetsk. This documentary is about the latter team, or more specifically, about two of its fans: coal miner Sasha sits among the common people in the terraces, while local politician Kolya sits high above his head in the VIP box. Both are witnesses to Shakhtar's breakthrough on the international stage during the 2009 UEFA-Cup. Although filmmaker Jakob Preuss conveys the ups and downs of this team in a striking way, he is interested in more than just soccer. Shakhtar is an example of where politics, entertainment and economics meet. According to Kolya, the performance of the team affects his party, the Party of the Regions, to which current President Viktor Yanukovich and Akhmetov also belong. In Donetsk, one of the biggest cities in Ukraine, the vast majority of the population supports this party (which is pro-Russia), whereas the party of former President Viktor Yushchenko (which brought about the Orange Revolution in 2004) attracts almost no support. Sasha's love for his soccer team isn't prompted by political considerations, but the fact that the oligarch is a patriot who invests in his home town team means a lot to him.

D.P.

Wybrane festiwale i nagrody/ Selected festivals and awards: 2010 - MFF Amsterdam/IDFA , 2011 - FF Max Ophüls, Nagroda dla Najlepszego Filmu Dokumentalnego/ Film Festival Max Ophüls: Preis für Besten Dokumentarfilm