11 Out of 1.3 Billion; Football in China (release 2019)

11 Out of 1.3 Billion; Football in China

See also: football-in-china.com Why is China, with 1.3 billion people and a great reputation in sports, not able to form a good national football team? 11 out of 1.3 Billion; Football in China will show the challenges of Chinese football by following six year old Kevin. He is talented and crazy about football.

Kevin’s dad is an exception to the Chinese social rules because he supports him to go to a special primary football school. By sacrificing his own career and spend every free hour on Kevin’s training he may finally fulfill his own childhood dream.

Along the way we meet players, coaches, fans and specialists who all have their own ideas about Chinese football and Kevin’s chances to ever play in a glorious Chinese team. Will Kevin fulfill his dad’s childhood dream and be part of a better Chinese football future?

Chinese football

There is certainly a will to win in Chinese football. Large sums of money are spent on foreign football professionals like Drogba and coach Francesco Lippi. David Beckham is now even hired as “image ambassador” for Chinese football. When he visited Shanghai seven people got injured just trying to get a glimpse of him, proving football is popular in China.

But is attracting foreign talent enough to raise the general level of football? Can the art of football be copied, like so many other things in China? Why do you hardly see any young kids kick a ball in the streets between the new high-rises? What about the match-fixing scandals in the past, and what does ‘our man in China’ Arie Haan think of it?

Through some famous and some less famous players, coaches and fans a surprising image if China as football country is drawn. Interviews are illustrated with footage from the Chinese football practice. The film is informative and entertaining. 11 Out of 1.3 Billion: Football in China is the first film about football in China and is full of ambition, enthusiasm and surprises.

A must see for Football fans and people interested in Chinese culture alike. Check www.football-in-china.com for even more information!

  • Selected for SPORT MOVIES & TV 2019 – 37th Milano International Ficts Fest
  • Selected for Lift-Off Tokyo and Toronto
  • Selected for Enginuity Film Festival 2020
  • Selected for Athens Marathon Film fest 2020
  • In cooperation with AboutAsia.
  • Running Time 48 minutes
  • Full HD
  • Release: November 2019
  • Languages: Chinese, Dutch, English