The film Let Him Be a Basketball Player has won a Golden Roll

More than 25,000 tickets already sold

2. oktober 2017 ob 23.43 • Ljubljana - MMC RTV SLO

Klemen Kostrevc, Ana Maria Mitić and Matija Brodnik - three members of the cast. Foto: Kolosej

The team behind Slovenia’s youth-oriented basketball movie Let Him Be a Basketball Player probably didn’t plan to release their film at the height of Slovenia’s basketball mania. But the first rewards of this lucky timing are already evident: The feature has already earned its first Golden Roll, which is given out to movies for their first 25,000 tickets. Can it hope to repeat the success of the scouting franchise Let’s Go Our Own Way?

“The Golden Roll serves as recognition for the entire team – the creators and the actors – and confirms that we have done our jobs well, that we brought audiences to movie theaters, and that they are interested in this story. Of course, the award is a good reminder that we’re on the right track,” said the film’s director Boris Petkovič. He added that the entire team hopes that the movie will continue to perform well at the box office and that the story will not end for quite some time. The team is not willing to say much about a second Golden Roll, but based on the reception of the film in the first three weeks, they feel that they are on track to win that as well. The Golden Rolls are given out by Kolosej and the Association of Slovenian Filmmakers.

The film is based on a bestseller of the same name by Primož Suhadolčan. It tells the story of Ranta, who is lazy, clumsy, always hungry, and impossibly tall. His life is upended when his gym teacher, Salta, invites him to join the basketball team. Ranta thus embarks on an exciting adventure, in which he is accompanied and encouraged by a witty friend and manager named Smodlak. From a lazy klutz, Rant grows up to become a committed athlete, a loyal friend, and an attractive guy.

Before the award was handed out, a screening of the film for schools took place at the Kolosej multiplex. The event will continue across Slovenia for the rest of the week. Attending the awards ceremony were the director, producers from Gustav Film, and co-producers from RTV Slovenia, as well as actors Klemen Kostrevc (Ranta), Matija Brodnik (Smodlak), Lado Bizovičar, (Tini Trska) and Ana Maria Mitić (Mom).

The first festival awards
Let Him Be a Basketball Player premiered at the Sarajevo Film Festival, where it was met with considerable acclaim. Its Slovenian premiere came at the Cankar Cultural Center. It was also one of the films screened at the Slovenian Film Festival in Portorož, where it received the People’s Choice award. These days, it is being introduced to young German audiences at the 22nd Shlingel Film Festival for Children and Young Audiences in Chemnitz.