New York-based financing andproduction house GreeneStreet Films is teaming up with Passion Pictures andCactus Three on its first documentary Once In A Lifetime, which charts the rise and fall of the New YorkCosmos soccer team.

Principal photographyrecently began in New York and filming will continue in Florida, London andother international locations.

John Battsek, who producedthe Oscar-winning documentary One Day In September in 2000, is producing and GreeneStreet Films isfinancing with the BBC and serving as executive producer with Passion Pictures'Andrew Ruhemann and Michael Davies.

Cactus Three's KrysanneKatsoolis, Julie Goldman and Caroline Stevens are co-executive producing andGreeneStreet Films International will handle worldwide sales.

The deal was negotiated byGreeneStreet Films' head of business affairs Vicki Cherkas and head ofproduction Tim Williams is overseeing production.

The story follows thehistory and characters behind the New York Cosmos, which boasted an all-starline-up in the early 1970s that included Pele, Johan Cruyff and FranzBeckenbauer, yet a decade later had fallen apart due to ego clashes andboardroom battles.

"We are very excited to beworking with such great film-makers on such an extraordinary, layered, cool anduniversal story," Cedric Jeanson of GreeneStreet Films and GreeneStreet FilmsInternational said in a statement.

"The New York Cosmosembodied everything that was vibrant and exciting during New York's mostextravagant years - the film will be kinetic with great use of retro-cool musicand innovative visuals."

"It's exciting to beworking with a company of the calibre of GreeneStreet," Battsek added. "Theirenthusiasm shows that the currency of feature docs is continuing toappreciate."

GreeneStreet Films iscurrently in post-production on Sally Potter's Yes starring Joan Allen and Sam Neill, and on thethriller Slow Burn, which starsRay Liotta, LL Cool J, Mekhi Phifer, Taye Diggs and Jolene Blalock.

Passion Pictures is anindependent film production company established in 1987 by managing directorand executive producer Andrew Ruhemann. It won the Academy Award and an EmmyAward for One Day In September.

Cactus Three specialises inthe production of high-end non fiction films. Founders Julie Goldman, KrysanneKatsoolis and Caroline Stevens serve as creative executive producers and havedeveloped expertise in packaging films with international co-productionpartners.