TIFF 2023 gets underway tomorrow, and that means plenty of world premieres over its ten-day schedule. And there several movies debuting in Toronto to get excited about, like Brian Helgeland‘s “Finestkind,” the GameStop short comedy “Dumb Money,” and the star-studded New England noir “Reptile,” which makes the feature debut for Grant Singer.
And there’s also Taika Waititi‘s “Next Goal Wins,” which has its world premiere at TIFF this weekend. To drum up hype for the comedy, Searchlight Pictures has a new clip from the film ahead of its debut. For those unfamiliar with Waititi’s long-gestating soccer pic, “Next Goal Wins” takes on the real-life story of the American Samoa soccer team. After a 31-0 FIFA drubbing in 2001, the world’s worst soccer team hires Michael Fassbender‘s Thomas Rongen, a maverick coach on his career’s last legs, to whip the team into shape. Will Rongen transform this team of misfits into real competitors in time for the World Cup Qualifiers?
The new clip features a training montage, as Fassbender’s Rongen attempts, and fails, to get his new soccer team through some basic field and footwork drills. But it also highlights Rongen’s fish-out-of-water status on American Samoa, as he has no idea where he fits beyond the soccer field.
Along with Fassbender, “Next Goal Wins” also stars Elisabeth Moss, Oscar Knightley, Uli Latukefu, Rachel House, and David Fane. The case also includes Will Arnett, Waititi’s “Our Flag Means Death” co-star Rhys Darby, Beulah Koale, and Chris Alosio. Waititi also has a brief cameo.
Waititi and Iain Morris adapt Mike Brett & Steve Jamison‘s book of the same name for the movie. Following its world premiere at TIFF on September 10, “Next Goal Wins” hits theaters on November 17.
Watch the new clip from “Next Goal Wins” below. And follow The Playlist’s coverage of TIFF over the next two weeks for our review of Waititi’s latest.
