On this sensitive day for English football, just after the bid to host the 2018 World Cup failed, I dare to mention a film about this year’s 2012 tournament. I urge you, if you can, to catch the film Africa United before it disappears from the big screens. Directed by Deb Gardner-Paterson, this roadtrip film follows a small group of African children a they desperately cross the continent to reach South Africa so that talented young football player Fabrice, played by Roger Nsengiyumva, can take part in the opening ceremony for the games. They have a rollercoaster adventure where they are pursued by thugs, rescue an underage girl from the hotel sex industry and encounter the devastating impact of AIDS.
You are swept easily into their journey. Appealing animation scenes are mixed in with the live action and the young leads have you rooting for their success. At first I thought it would be too twee for me, a film with no adults in the lead roles but it certainly shattered those doubts and seized my attention.
Cherrydial 
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