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Taika Waititi’s ‘Next Goal Wins’ set to premiere at this year’s TIFF

TIFF has announced that Taika Waititi’s soccer comedy will make its world premiere at this year’s festival in September. (Courtesy: Searchlight Pictures)

The Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) has announced that Taika Waititi’s soccer comedy will make its world premiere at this year’s festival in September. 

Waititi’s film Next Goal Wins features Michael Fassbender, Oscar Knightley, Kaimana and more. Toronto-born Will Arnett is also amongst the star-studded cast.

Produced by Searchlight Pictures, the comedy is based on the 2014 documentary of the same name. It follows the journey of an American Samoa soccer team infamous for failing to score a single goal during FIFA 2001. 

In an attempt to turn their luck around, the team hires an unfortunate coach named Thomas Rongen (Fassbender) hoping he can improve the world’s worst soccer team. 

In 2019, the New Zealand filmmaker won the TIFF Ebert Director Award for his movie Jojo Rabbit. The film also won the TIFF People’s Choice Award and the Oscar for Best Adapted Screenplay in 2020.

“We’re thrilled to welcome Taika back to the Festival and share his audacious take on the most popular sport in the world,” TIFF CEO Cameron Bailey said in a news release on Wednesday. “Next Goal Wins is perfect for TIFF fans of the beautiful game looking for their football fill until the 2026 World Cup arrives.”

The 48th edition of TIFF will kick off on Sept. 7 until the 17. 

More festival details are expected to be announced in the coming weeks. The full festival schedule will be released in August. Tickets will be available to TIFF members beginning on Aug. 18. 

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