Summary Playoff tells the story of legendary Israeli basketball coach Ralph Klein. He became a national hero, when he made Maccabi Tel Aviv into European Champions in the late Seventies, one of Israel's first great international sporting successes. But Max became a national traitor equally fast, when he then accepted the against-all-odds job of turning the totally hopeless West-German basketball team - of all people! - into European winners. Max always maintains that Germany - where he was born before the war - means nothing to him, and that training their national team is just another job on his path to NBA glory. But things aren't as simple as he refuses to speak German to the young players. The only person he seems to be able to relate to is a Turkish immigrant woman Deniz, and her cheeky teenage daughter Sema. Max just about falls in love with Deniz - and does succeed in reinventing the Germans as European champions. When he discovers what happened to his own family in the 1940s - it is not what he had expected. And he will realize that one cannot run away forever from one's own past and demons. Playoff is inspired by the life of Ralph Klein, Israel's most famous basketball coach, ever. View more details
Directed : Eran Riklis
Written : Eran Riklis David Akerman Gidon Maron
Stars : Danny Huston Amira Casar Max Riemelt Mark Waschke
Genres : Drama Sport
Release date : Nov 23, 2011
Countries of origin : Germany France Israel
Language : English German Turkish Hebrew
Filming locations : Israel
Production companies : Egoli Tossell Pictures Fidélité Films Topia Communications
Summary Playoff tells the story of legendary Israeli basketball coach Ralph Klein. He became a national hero, when he made Maccabi Tel Aviv into European Champions in the late Seventies, one of Israel's first great international sporting successes. But Max became a national traitor equally fast, when he then accepted the against-all-odds job of turning the totally hopeless West-German basketball team - of all people! - into European winners. Max always maintains that Germany - where he was born before the war - means nothing to him, and that training their national team is just another job on his path to NBA glory. But things aren't as simple as he refuses to speak German to the young players. The only person he seems to be able to relate to is a Turkish immigrant woman Deniz, and her cheeky teenage daughter Sema. Max just about falls in love with Deniz - and does succeed in reinventing the Germans as European champions. When he discovers what happened to his own family in the 1940s - it is not what he had expected. And he will realize that one cannot run away forever from one's own past and demons. Playoff is inspired by the life of Ralph Klein, Israel's most famous basketball coach, ever. View more details
Genres : Drama Sport
Release date : Nov 23, 2011
Countries of origin : Germany France Israel
Language : English German Turkish Hebrew
Filming locations : Israel
Production companies : Egoli Tossell Pictures Fidélité Films Topia Communications
