WithBerlin awash with projects involving football, the island of Zanzibar hasjoined the team: Berlin-based production company Priamos Film is to launch withThe Dream Of Zanzibar set on the African island.

Budgetedat $1.1m, the Dream Of Zanzibar will mark both the directing debut ofAlisan Saltik and the first project from Stephan Ottenbruch's Priamos.

Amix of underdog tale with romantic comedy, it follows a young man as he wooshis Indian childhood sweetheart while trying to become a professional footballerin the national league.

Accordingto Ottenbruch, principal photography on Dream Of Zanzibar is slated tobegin in June-July on Zanzibar with an African cast and Czech actor PetrKuschmitz playing an ex-patriate German whom the locals call "Beckenbauer".

PriamosFilm plans to have the film ready for showing at next year's Berlinale and isin negotiations with German distributors for a theatrical release after thefestival.

Asa promotional tie-in for the film, it is also intended to bring the Zanzibarnational football team to Berlin next February for a match with a German teamsuch as the Under-21 national side.

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