Saudi film ‘Champions’ premiers in theaters on Thursday
The Saudi-made “Champions” will be released on Thursday, March 10, in theaters across Saudi Arabia and the MENA region.
Aziz, Saad, Hamad, Omar, Walid, Fahad, Luay, Mahmoud and Mariam light up the screen in this inspiring feel-good dramedy.
With lots of laughs and a positive message, Champions tells the story of Khaled, an arrogant pro football coach who is relegated to training a special needs team as community service for his bad behavior. He soon learns that winning is not all that matters, as the team helps him overcome his ego through their kindness, innocence and infectious humor.
“’Champions’ is a story about personal growth. It is about love, compassion and empowerment. It talks about some very serious issues, but in a way that’s light-hearted, funny, and easily digestible. Sometimes comedy is the best form of education,” said lead actor Yassir Al-Saggaf.
Starring Al-Saggaf as the coach and Fatima Al-Banawi as his fiance, “Champions” is produced by Lola Arabia and Al Maha Films, the producers of “Born a King”, the hit biopic of the late King Faisal. The producers partnered with The Help Center, a Jeddah-based non-profit organization dedicated to helping people with special needs, for the casting of the film.
“We didn’t want to use professional actors to portray people with special needs. That would go against the message the movie is trying to send. And, in all honesty, they are great actors. They set an example for the rest of society through their sense of humor, kindness and respect,” said Oscar-winning producer Andrés Vicente Gómez.
A Saudi adaptation of the 2018 Spanish film “Campeones”, the film retells the critically acclaimed story for an Arabic audience. It was filmed in Jeddah during the height of the pandemic.
With lots of laughs and a positive message, Champions tells the story of Khaled, an arrogant pro football coach who is relegated to training a special needs team as community service for his bad behavior. He soon learns that winning is not all that matters, as the team helps him overcome his ego through their kindness, innocence and infectious humor.
“’Champions’ is a story about personal growth. It is about love, compassion and empowerment. It talks about some very serious issues, but in a way that’s light-hearted, funny, and easily digestible. Sometimes comedy is the best form of education,” said lead actor Yassir Al-Saggaf.
Starring Al-Saggaf as the coach and Fatima Al-Banawi as his fiance, “Champions” is produced by Lola Arabia and Al Maha Films, the producers of “Born a King”, the hit biopic of the late King Faisal. The producers partnered with The Help Center, a Jeddah-based non-profit organization dedicated to helping people with special needs, for the casting of the film.
“We didn’t want to use professional actors to portray people with special needs. That would go against the message the movie is trying to send. And, in all honesty, they are great actors. They set an example for the rest of society through their sense of humor, kindness and respect,” said Oscar-winning producer Andrés Vicente Gómez.
A Saudi adaptation of the 2018 Spanish film “Campeones”, the film retells the critically acclaimed story for an Arabic audience. It was filmed in Jeddah during the height of the pandemic.
