It's not common for a football team to release a short film, but Assyriska FF, the immigrant football club in Sodertalje Sweden is everything but a regular club.
The full film, only about 4 minutes long, was released on February 8 in a tribute to the national icon Naum Faik Palak whose call to “Awake” in one of his most well known poems continues to resonate more than a century later. Despite the short format the film manages to deliver a powerful message of remembrance, pride, and national unity. The production is both a tribute to the past and a vision for the future, says Assyriska FF in the release description.
The AI production used advanced subject-scanning and identity-capture technology to digitally scan the entire team in the making of the film. The players were then placed into a shared AI environment, allowing them to move seamlessly between past and present, from ancient Assyria to the modern arena. The result is a striking visual narrative where the same individuals embody both the warriors and builders of history and the athletes of today.
Assyriska FF competes in Ettan Norra, which is the third tier of the Swedish football league system. The team has been struggling with a tough financial situation for the past couple of years and the leadership of the club hope that the film, which is said to have cost around 50 thousand SEK to produce (about $5 500 USD), will ignite renewed interest in Assyriska and help it raise more funds among Assyrians around the world.
