Jonathan Cavendish, Producer of the feature film NEXT GOAL WINS (written and directed by Taika Waititi), invited friends, disability advocates and organisations to a special preview screening of the film in aid of the charity CS Disabled Holidays on Wednesday 22nd November at the Ham Yard Hotel in London. Following last year’s successful screening of SHE SAID (Universal), in aid of and in partnership with Zelda Perkins Can’t Buy My Silence charity, Jonathan invited Together Films to consult on the event to amplify the impact of their fundraising mission.
Writer and Director Taiki Waititi introduced the film and shared the importance of making a film centring Pacific characters told by a Pacific filmmaker. He welcomed to the stage American Samoa football player Jaiyah Saelua, the actress who played Jaiyah, Kaimana; and Michael Fassbender, who plays the coach. Andy Serkis, also a producer on the film, was in attendance as well as Woody Harrelson and Rita Ora.
Jonathan welcomed everyone to the screening by sharing the story behind CS Disabled Holidays, founded over 10 years ago in honour of his father, Robin Cavendish. Robin was given two weeks to live after contracting severe polio in 1958. He was left paralysed from the neck down and dependent on a respirator. Despite this prognosis, he lived a full and extraordinary life with his wife Diana for another 36 years and received an MBE for his services to disabled people.
Disabled people and their carers need holidays and respite breaks more than any other group, while being less able to afford them. The average cost for a family holiday for those with additional needs is £2,000. CS Disabled Holidays is a charity providing grants for people with severe physical disability to take life-changing holiday breaks of their own choosing.
Currently, the charity is able to fund about 80 holidays per year, but with your help, they’d like to provide as many families with this opportunity as possible. Please click here to donate.
In 2024 CS Disabled Holidays is launching a new and unique holiday property matching service – CareBNB.UK. Holiday property owners are charitabley donating a week of their annual holiday let, which we will match to the needs either of disabled people, or of unpaid carers.
About the film
NEXT GOAL WINS (written and directed by Taika Waititi) follows the infamously terrible American Samoa soccer team, known for a brutal 2001 FIFA match they lost 31-0. With the 2014 World Cup Qualifiers approaching, the team hires down-on-his-luck, maverick coach Thomas Rongen (Michael Fassbender) hoping he will turn the world’s worst soccer team around in this humorous and heartfelt underdog story.
NEXT GOAL WINS is on wide theatrical release by Searchlight Pictures, in UK cinemas from 29 December, 2023
