The story of footballer Jermain Defoe is being told in a new documentary feature, coming to UK cinemas in February.
The latest sporting figure to be the subject of a feature documentary? That’s Jermain Defoe, the former football star who played for clubs such as West Ham United, Tottenham Hotspur, Sunderland, Rangers and Portsmouth in a career that spanned nearly 25 years.
Defoe was awarded an OBE in 2018, for his work with the Jermain Defoe foundation, that supports vulnerable and homeless children.
The documentary feature has been directed by James Ross and produced by Naomi Notice. Defoe contributes to it as well, alongside names such as Sandra Defoe, Gemma Lowery (the mother of the late and inspirational youngster Bradley Lowery), Harry Redknapp, Joe Cole and Peter Crouch.
Kaleidoscope is distributing the film, which will be in UK cinemas on February 29th 2024. If it follows the usual pattern of these things, it’ll have a brief cinema window, before heading to home formats quickly afterwards.
A synopsis has been released for the film, which reads as follows…
Jermain Defoe, one of the top goalscorers in Premier League history, cemented his status as a footballing legend during a dramatic career playing for West Ham, Tottenham Hotspur, and the England national team. Now, he is ready to embark on the next chapter of his life with the aim of becoming one of only a handful of black managers in the British professional game.
This intimate documentary charts the unique challenges that stand between him and his new dream. Whilst studying the game and learning new skills and techniques, inspiring stories from his personal life reveal how he has often channelled unspeakable tragedy and heartbreak into a force for good.
Odeon is advertising the release, incidentally, with an included pre-recoded Q&A. You can find the listing for it here.
More on the Defoe movie as we hear it.
