In recent years, American football has been on the rise overseas. Countries like Germany are leading the charge in growing the sport through their own professional leagues and a myriad of teams based out of their biggest cities. However, one small town team rose to prominence throughout the 2010s, becoming one of the most terrifying teams in all of Europe - the Schwäbisch Hall Unicorns. The Unicorns are now getting their own documentary titledUnicornTownand the first trailer shows how such a small team took the German Football League by storm and earned its spot in an ever-expanding field.
Unicorn Townis a unicorn among sports documentaries as it’s directed by Schwäbisch Hall playerNick Alfieri. The doc follows a group of American professionals, including Alfieri, who teamed with German amateurs out of Schwäbisch Hall to form a super team. The Unicorns became an icon in German football as one of the favorites for a title year after year all without the financial resources of their competitors. Hailing from a town of only 40,000, they compete as underdogs and still manage to pull through. Yet, as more money inevitably gets pumped into the game, the question looms of whether they can continue to compete despite the constraints against them or if they’re doomed to fade away.
The trailer starts off by showing the transcendent popularity of the Unicorns in their hometown. Thanks to years of dominance, nobody in Schwäbisch Hall doesn’t know who they are. The team is firmly embedded in the town’s culture, drawing massive crowds and giving out autographs. With all the hometown love, however, comes the gut-wrenching reality of being a small-town team and the fears of being shut out by bigger New York Yankees-like teams like the Braunschweig Lions. It’s an issue not just for the fans, but also for the players and coaches. Many of the Americans, like Alfieri, have found opportunities in Schwäbisch Hall that didn’t exist for them back home. Through a mix of interviews with players and European sports figures, Alfieri demonstrates how much it means to have a team to rally around and be a part of.
RELATED:From ‘Rudy’ to ‘Varsity Blues’: 9 Essential Football Movies
Unicorn Townis written, directed, edited, and produced by Alfieriwho also serves as narrator. Alfieri played college football in the U.S. before making the trip overseas to join the Unicorns in 2015. He’s dabbled in production in the past, serving as co-producer on former arena football player turned directorBrent Craft’sLady-Like. Craft is returning the favor with Alfieri’s directorial debut, serving as a producer on the film. The film also hails from Gravitas Ventures and was made in association with NFL Films.
Alfieri is joined on-screen by legendary Unicorns coachSiegfried Gehrke, feared GFL pass rusherDevin Benton, former NFL player turned GFL-leading wide receiverTyler “Rudy” Rutenbeck, andMoritz Böhringer, the first Eurorpean player to be taken in the NFL draft.Jordan Neuman,Thomas ‘Smoke’ Rauch,Marco Ehrenfried,Cody Pastorino,Joseph ‘Jojo’ Joyner,Jerome Manyema,Bruno Michitti,Daniel Docal, andGerhard ‘Jerry’ Jägerround out the cast.
Producers forUnicorn Towninclude Oscar winnerAndrew Carlbergand Emmy winnerPaul PawlowskialongsideSven Löffler,Paul Monusky,Danny Hamouie,Matthew Nemeth, andNatassja Eckerströmalongside Alfieri and Craft. Also attached to the film is Carolina Panthers star running backChristian McCaffreywho executive produces. McCaffrey boarded the project back in 2019 partly out of interest - he has a minor in film - but his connections to the production run deep ashis Stanford roommate and best friend was Alfieri’s brotherJoey Alfieri.
