PBS to air Egypt football doc

PBS is to broadcast American Pharaoh, a one-hour doc that goes behind the scenes of the Egyptian football team as they try to qualify for the FIFA World Cup in Brazil.

The US public broadcaster has scheduled the doc, which features American coach Bob Bradley, who is currently in charge of Egypt’s football team, to broadcast next June to coincide with the tournament in Brazil.

The doc saw local filmmaker Hossam Aboul-Magd following Bradley personal efforts to make Egypt perform on the pitch as turmoil gripped the country off of it. Aboul-Magd’s Soura Films produced the programme, which Charles C. Stuart executive produced and Sandy Petrykowski produced.

“This is not just a film about soccer,” says Aboul-Magd. “This is about my country, my team, a coach I respect and the dream of capturing the World Cup in spite of enormous challenges.  I see the goal of developing a strong team, in the middle of a revolution, as a metaphor for the rebuilding of Egypt.”