The Flying Stars, an award-winning film, will have its world premiere at the Montreal International Documentary Film Festival (RIDM) on November 14.

The film will screen Friday, November 14 at 9:15 pm and Sunday, November 16 at 8:30 pm at the Amphithéâtre Coeur de Sciences (SH-2800), Sherbrooke Pavillion, UQAM (200 Sherbrooke St W, Montreal, H2X 1X5). Tickets and information: www.ridm.qc.ca/

The Flying Stars is about amputee soccer in post-war Sierra Leone. Team captain Bornor Kargbo and midfielder Census Jalloh are amputees who play organized soccer in Sierra Leone to cope with the horrors of war they suffered a decade ago. As they dream of playing internationally, they wrestle with nightmares that haunt their daily lives and threaten the very families they are trying to feed. Can Bornor and Census overcome their postwar trauma and score a victory for their children off the soccer pitch?

Directed by Toronto’s Ngardy Conteh George & Allan Tong, The Flying Stars made history in 2011 by being the first and only documentary to ever win the Telefilm Canada Pitch This! competition at the Toronto International Film Festival. The film then attracted financial support from the Sundance Documentary Institute which also named George and Tong as Sundance Documentary Fellows. Broadcasters from Asia to Europe are also supporting the film.

Co-director and editor George was born was born in Sierra Leone and raised in Canada. She had previously cut a short documentary directed by Tong, who discovered the amputee “football” players of Sierra Leone from the photographs of New York photographer Fiona Aboud. The Flying Stars is produced by Mattru Media of Toronto in association with Catbird Productions of Montreal.

The Flying Stars was filmed in Freetown and across Sierra Leone, then edited in Toronto and Montreal. The documentary was originally entitled Leone Stars and was changed to reflect the new name of Bornor’s and Census’ team.

For more info on the film or festival please visit festival website