Eddie Edwards hopeful of raising needed fund for Rollaball doc inspired Ghanaian polio survivors

Having celebrated Vodafone Healthline being named TV Programme Of The Year at the 23^rd Chartered Institute of Marketing, Ghana (CIMG)  Awards last weekend, series director Eddie Edwards is hoping for a second win in two weeks on this Saturday, 22 September 2012, when his documentary Rollaball will end its funding campaign on Kickstarter, the world’s largest funding platform for creative projects.   Rollaball is the story of The Rolling Rockets, an inspiring team of Ghanaian polio survivors, who are pioneering an extreme sports hybrid of skateboarding and soccer. It’s raised over $15 000 from 148 supporters from all over the world, putting in the top 5% of Kickstarter campaigns of all time, but still needs just under $20 000 in the next five days in order to reach its goal and receive its funding.   “It’s terrifying,” says director Eddie Edwards, who also helmed the award-winning sports documentary The Fight, about South African boxing champion Andile Tshongolo. “We’ve come so far already, but Kickstarter only funds films that reach their targets: otherwise no contributors are charged. It would be heartbreaking, both for us and for the Rolling Rockets team, to have accomplished so much and still to walk away with nothing and be unable to complete filming.”   Eddie discovered skate soccer while researching Vodafone Healthline. Rollaball has a lot in common with the revolutionary health talk show, which addresses the health concerns of Ghanaians through a combination of education and entertainment.   Eddie says, “Healthline has paid for the life-saving or life-changing surgeries for over 80 patients, so we are all very proud to have made an impact in the lives of so many people. I believe Rollaball similarly has the potential to change lives. When I first met the team two years ago, I knew they were something special. These guys face massive challenges off the pitch, as polio is still stigmatized in Ghana, so many of them live on the streets and beg for a living. But despite all the odds, they’re incredible athletes who deserve to be stars. They have inspired something in me and I believe they’ll inspire many others. Both on and off the field, their stories are legendary.”   Rollaball’s Kickstarter campaign has been widely praised, with endorsements from the likes of Ghanaian Black Stars’ internationals Michael Essien and Sulley Muntari, among others. To help make the completed documentary possible, visit http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/rollaballmovie/rollaball-skate-soccer. Pledges start from as little as $10.]]>