Rollaball: the movie (Ghana)

Monday, October 8, 2012

Rollaball: the movie (Ghana)

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By Crystal Svanikier

At Dust, we’re pretty tuned into what’s going on creatively. We received notice of many films, festivals and events created by, or about, Ghana and her people. One such project, Rollaball, is a creative work on the Rolling Rockets, Ghana’s disabled skate soccer team. The movie’s website gives a great introduction to each of the players as well as Eddie Edwards’ vision in creating the documentary:

The goal of the film is to narrate vivid personal testimonies combined with well-controlled images of the day-to-day lives of our characters, placing them in their overall context – the streets of Accra.

When filming the players on the streets, the camera will adopt differing points of view: we will film at eye-level to give the perspective from the street, as well as from sitting and standing positions to show the circumstances of our characters. At times the camera will be observational and at other times in amongst the action. This diverse visual style, combined with an intense sound design, makes the film seem almost interactive. The viewer will walk away with a feeling of having been there.

Every Sunday, a group of young polio survivors gather at a unused taxi rank, where for a few hours they participate in their own soccer league — just like what many able-bodied men do all over the city. However, these players, instead of going home to relax, must find their rest on the streets. Ostracised by society, they are forced to make a living begging and sleeping on the streets. When they do get money, some of the guys party up a storm, hanging out in bars, smoking weed and chasing women, while others do their best to support their families.

Rolling Rockets’ coach and manager Albert K. Frimpong lives a very different life. Able-bodied and trained in the IT industry, Albert devotes his spare time and money to further the cause of the Rolling Rockets. Rollaball offers an up-close look at Ghana’s national skate soccer team as they work towards their sporting goal. We also look at the personal stories of the harrowing and challenging lives the players deal with in their daily battle to survive.

Living and working in Accra, we often overlook the hawkers and beggars that crowd our vehicles at each traffic light. Personally, I feel harassed every time a beggar approaches my vehicle for money. However, the thought of this movie has humanised beggars for me again, reminding me that we’re all hustling to make a living.

The movie is due out next year (2013) and like, An African Election, looks like its going to prove to be another interesting story coming out of Ghana.