READ AN INTERVIEW WITH DIRECTOR JUNAID AHMED

Told through the stories of five former prisoners, this is the story of political activists sent to the notorious Robben Island prison in the 1960s by the apartheid regime, who rise above their incarceration by creating a football league and finding an outlet for their passion and commitment to discipline through the Beautiful Game.

DIRECTOR'S STATEMENT - JUNAID AHMED
The making of More Than Just A Game has been an incredible journey. In this regard I am extremely grateful to the producers, actors, crew and supporters and especially to five 'ordinary' but remarkable fellow South Africans - Anthony Suze, Mark Shinners, Lizo Sitoto, Sedick Isaacs and Marcus Solomon. The story of More Than Just A Game is told from their point of view and the opportunity to look at reality through their eyes was both an educational and dramatic experience for me.
This film also appealed to me because I wanted to be part of a team that showed another image of Africa- different to the stereotypes that continue to be misrepresented to and imagined in the minds of many people outside the continent. The fragmented and inaccurate representations of the 'dark continent' include that of being primitive, poor, underdeveloped, violent and covered with jungles. But Africa abounds with rich and remarkable tapestries of stories that offer fresh insights about the continent. More Than Just A Game is an example ofan inspirational story that reveals the strength and energy of people when confronted by the worst of adversities - people such as Tony, Mark, Lizo, Sedick and Marcus. When apartheid South Africa imprisoned them on Robben Island - the 'Alcatraz' of Africa-they responded to their detention with strength of mind, purpose and determination and at the same time, topping this with amazing measures of dignity. And on this island- more brutal than they ever imagined- they found refuge in learning and in comradeship. A philosophy of excellence was applied to every task, no matter how brutalizing. And ultimately there came the realization that there is humanity to be reclaimed in sharing a love for sport and fair play.
It was not an easy journey-this request to play soccer on Robben Island. But even when the authorities relented, recreation was only half the aim. To the prisoners, all steeped in the ethos of debate, dialogue and negotiation, it was not only essential that the playing of soccer takes place, but that it was seen to take place in a well ordered and highly structured manner. The political detainees formed the Makana Football Association, based on the principles of inclusivity, collective discipline, fair play, commitment to excellence and FIFA-like technical rigour, rather than hierarchy, party politics and personality. Being involved in all aspects of soccer- from administration to playing - enabled the political prisoners to rise above their incarceration and finding an outlet for their passion and commitment to discipline through the Beautiful Game.
The collective time that Lizo, Tony, Sedick, Marcus and Mark spent on Robben Island was almost 75 years. They survived the imprisonment and worse. But their resolve never wavered.
And today, instead of becoming slaves to the economy of power in a free South Africa, they are busy contributing to the benefit of our society- working with children, empowering the economy, educating and deepening democracy. They have made me understand that politics is about people. That they do have the power, and all they need to do is to engage and reclaim their voice and they can change the world- even under the most overwhelming of odds.
More Than Just A Game shows the resilience of ordinary people when their lives get turned upside down by injustice. And that is why it makes me really happy that their story should be seen by an international audience. Their stories are universally important not only because they are inspiring but because it can also mobilize us to contribute towards creating a better world.

SOCCER ON ROBBEN ISLAND: Fact Sheet
For years, political prisoners on Robben Island demanded the right to play soccer. Eventually prison authorities relented under pressure from the International Red Cross.
The Robben Island prison opened in the early 1960s. The Makana Football Association was established in 1966, and played off and (mostly) on until the prison closed in 1991.
The league was operated in three divisions -- A, B and C, based on players' abilities -- complete with trainers, managers, referees and coaches from the prison population of as many as 1,400 men.
The league had several standing committees to deal with a range of issues, including discipline and maintenance. Minutes of meetings were kept. The level of detail was meticulous.
Games were played for two hours on Saturdays for almost nine months a year.
Playing soccer was important on many levels for the prisoners: as a diversion from the harsh realities of their lives, as physical exercise to keep their minds and bodies sharp; as a way for those from differing political factions to work and play together. For the first time, as football is established, prisoners from the ANC (African National Congress), PAC (Pan African Congress) and other smaller political formations begin to train together and play together in prison.
Soccer played a key role in shaping and sustaining a spirit of resistance on the Island. The prisoners believed they would be running their own country one day. That was partly why they organized the soccer league along strict FIFA rules. They saw it as a chance to prove they could run anything.
Nelson Mandela, Robben Island's most celebrated prisoner, along with his comrades such as Walter Sisulu, Ahmed Kathrada and others, were among a small number of prisoners kept in isolation and who were barred from watching and participating in the soccer league
Some of South Africa's politicians and leading figures in many aspects of the socio-economic, cultural milieu played soccer on Robben Island. This includes the Minister of Defence 'Terror' Lekota, the Deputy Chief Justice of South Africa Dikgang Moseneke, ANC deputy president Jacob Zuma, business leader Tokyo Sexwale and many others.
All week, prisoners worked in the slate quarry in their drab prison garb. On Saturdays, when they played soccer, they wore uniforms in club colors such as maroon and white or black and silver.
Initially when the prisoners were not allowed to play soccer, they would play secretly in their cells with balls made of pieces of string, paper, cardboard and rags.
When soccer was finally allowed, the prisoners built their own goals. The league's building and maintenance committee rolled and levelled a playing field.
Training sessions were held mainly in the communal cell bathrooms- so as not to disturb other prisoners who were either relaxing or sleeping.
In later years, teams that won the various leagues were given small trophies and certificates designed by the prisoners. The prison authorities would confiscate this immediately after the awards ceremony on the soccer field.

TOM EATON: SCREENWRITER
Born in 1977 in Cape Town, Tom Eaton was educated at Westerford High School and the University of Cape Town. As an undergraduate he majored in English and Afrikaans/Netherlandic Studies, before completing in Honours degree in English Literature. In 1999 he enrolled at that University for a Masters in Creative Writing, and was supervised by Nobel Prize laureate J.M.Coetzee, graduating with distinction in 2001.
While working on his Masters, Eaton joined the 365 Digital group as a copy-editor and journalist, and by 2001 he was the South African editor for the group's Cricket365.com website. In 2002 he decided to go freelance, and the following year he was approached by the Mail&Guardian to write a weekly satirical sports column. The 'Pitch&Mutter' column established Eaton as one of the foremost columnists in the country, and in 2005 - when he retired the column - Double Storey published a collection of 'Pitch&Mutter's entitled Twelve Rows Back.
Also in 2003 Eaton took over from the late Peter Robinson as the Mail&Guardian's cricket correspondent, and has since gained a following as an insightful and wide-ranging sports writer - the "best sports feature writer in the country" according to veteran writer and commentator Mark Keohane. In 2006 he co-edited an anthology of South African sports journalism with Sunday Times columnist Luke Alfred, entitled Touchlines and Deadlines and published by Double Storey; and he remains a regular contributor to 'SA Cricket' magazine. His work has also appeared in the prestigious 'The Cricketer', UK-based 'SPIN Cricket' magazine, and other magazine titles like 'SA Sports Illustrated' and 'SA Rugby'.
In 2005 his cricket writing expertise led to an approach from publishers putting together a groundbreaking coaching manual, written by the late Bob Woolmer, Professor Tim Noakes and Helen Moffett. Eaton was appointed as editor and editorial consultant on the project, and continues to guide the book towards publication with Struik later this year.
Eaton's first foray into screenwriting came in 2006, when he was approached by Videovision to write the screenplay of 'More Than Just a Game', a docudrama directed by Junaid Ahmed that tells the story of the Makana Football Association - the soccer league founded and administered by political prisoners on Robben Island in the 1960s and 1970s - through the eyes of five former prisoners. The film is set for release in late 2007.
Eaton has also established himself in South Africa as a writer of fiction. His 2005 spoof, The De Villiers Code, was a bestseller, enjoying four print runs and sales in excess of 10,000 copies, and the following year he published his second novel, Texas, which was also well received. His third novel, The Wading, is to be published by Penguin (SA) in 2008.

DIRECTOR JANAID AHMED
Junaid Ahmed is a graduate of the University of Durban-Westville where he read for a BA (Honours) degree in Drama.  During the past twelve years, Ahmed has been specialising in film and television production - writing, producing and directing documentaries and short films.   He has produced and directed productions for Channel 4 (United Kingdom), the Discovery Channel, ARTE (Europe), SABC and e-tv.
His films have been featured in many international film festivals and he has also received many national and international awards for these productions.   Iqakamba - Hard Ball, which he wrote and directed, won the Best Sports Documentary in Milan in 1996 and Lucky, a short film that he produced, was nominated for the 2006 BAFTA Best Short Film Award and subsequently won the Best Short Film Award at more than 30 international film festivals in 2006.
Ahmed's latest project is the docu-drama, More Than Just A Game which he directed and co-wrote.  More Than Just A Game
He is the past Secretary General of the Congress of South African Writers (COSAW) and represented the organization at many conferences on the continent, North and South America, Europe and Asia. Ahmed has edited poetry anthologies and his articles on arts and culture related issues have been published in a number of international publications.
He has also served on a number of advisory committees and executive boards in both the public and private sectors and non-governmental organizations, initiated and co-coordinated arts and culture events, conferences and workshops both internationally and in South Africa.  He was a consultant to the Democratic Media Trust and past executive member of the Independent Producer's Organization (IPO).  During 1996 to 1998, he was appointed by the South African Minister of Arts and Culture onto the National Interim Film Fund Board-now the National Film and Video Foundation.
Over the past twenty years Ahmed has produced, workshopped, acted in and directed many theatre productions at various community venues, the Asoka Theatre, the Market Theatre and at the Grahamstown Arts Festival. His latest production, which he wrote and directed, was the acclaimed musical, BOMBAY CRUSH.
Ahmed has also co-ordinated and directed many national and international special events. These include being the South African co-ordinator of one of the biggest arts and cultural festivals held outside South Africa - the Zabalaza Festival which was held in London in 1990, a multi-cultural stage show for the World Economic Forum's (WEF) Durban Summit in 2001 and the arts and culture programme for President Thabo Mbeki's official state visit to India in 2003.

THE ART OF SOUTH AFRICAN FILMMAKING

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