Contact Us FAQ Français
Home / The Flying Stars

The Flying Stars

Maple Leaf This item is only available for Canadian orders.

Catalogue Number:  OYA001
Producer:  OYA Media Group
Producing Agencies:  Mattru Media, Catbird Productions
Subject:  Canadian World Studies, Citizenship Education, Documentary, Family Studies/Home Economics, Guidance, Health, Psychology, Social Sciences, Sociology, Sports, World History
Language:  English
Grade Level:  9 - 12, Post Secondary, Adult
Country Of Origin:  Canada
Copyright Year:  2014
Running Time:  65:44


Request Preview Access

The Flying Stars follows the story of Bornor, the fiery and charismatic captain of an amputee football team, who is haunted by Sierra Leone’s civil war.

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?

Filmmaker’s POV:

The civil war of Sierra Leone lasted from 1991-2002 and in that time rebel soldiers waged a campaign of terror by amputating innocent children, while soldiers stepped on landmines. Today, one in five amputees in the world lives in Sierra Leone.

Many amputees in this country beg on the streets and suffer housing and job discrimination in a country that regards amputees as ugly reminders of that war. If left untreated, Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder makes victims lash out at those around them, thereby perpetuating the cycle of violence unleashed by the civil war of the 1990s.

Amputee football is one of the few ways for the amputees to band together and find solace. The 'beautiful game' heals, and at the very least it provides structure and routine to the amputees' lives. Football builds self-confidence and proves to their countrymen that the amputees are as capable as anyone as they soar across the football pitch to create acrobatic plays.


Related Titles

Mr. Jane and Finch

OYA Media Group OYA000

Winston LaRose, a beloved 80-year-old activist/amateur documentarian who has documented the Black...

A Time of Healing: W5

CTV CTV705

W5's Victor Malarek follows the recovery of Mykola Nyzhnykovskyi, who was left a triple amputee by...

Reach For The Top: W5

CTV CTV576

Getting to know an inspiration: Spencer West has no legs, but that didn't stop him from climbing...

Bashir's Vision

Loud Roar Productions LRP002

Bashir Ramathan throws real head snappers in a dusty boxing gym. At the crack of dawn, he's working...


Browse Our Collection By Subject

View All Subjects