The Belonging

Josias Tschanz and Bänz Isler

Fifteen-year-old Gonçalo Fernandes Da Silva is a rising football talent, serving as the goalkeeper for both the Grashopper Club Zürich U17 team and the Swiss U16 national football team. Despite having lived in Zürich for the past ten years, Gonçalo faces a dilemma: he was born in Portugal and lacks Swiss citizenship, making him ineligible for the official Swiss national team.

Even though the Portuguese Football Association has invited him to training sessions in Portugal, Gonçalo remains torn. He looks up to football professionals like Ivan Rakitic, Breel Embolo, and Manuel Akanji, who have all faced similar decisions about their national allegiance. Breel Embolo relinquished his Cameroonian citizenship to obtain Swiss nationality, while Ivan Rakitic was criticized for choosing to represent the Croatian national team. Manuel Akanji, on the other hand, still ponders what it would be like to play for Nigeria.

Inspired by his role models, Gonçalo is determined to follow his dreams of playing for a national team. As he grapples with this decision, he must confront the potential consequences of his choice. Which nation will he choose, and what challenges will he face as a result?

Producer: Pascal Trächslin, Christoph Arni
Script: Bänz Isler, Josias Tschanz
Genre: Documentary
Countries: Switzerland 2024
Runtime: 90 Minutes
Language: Schweizer Deutsch
In Preparation

TBE_Stills_Webseite-3
TBE_Stills_Webseite-4
TBE_Stills_Webseite-5
TBE_Stills_Webseite-6
TBE_Stills_Webseite-18
TBE_Stills_Webseite-7
TBE_Stills_Webseite-21
TBE_Stills_Webseite-1
TBE_Stills_Webseite-19
TBE_Stills_Webseite-2
TBE_Stills_Webseite-10
TBE_Stills_Webseite-9
TBE_Stills_Webseite-11
TBE_Stills_Webseite-12
TBE_Stills_Webseite-14
TBE_Stills_Webseite-20
TBE_Stills_Webseite-13
TBE_Stills_Webseite-22
TBE_Stills_Webseite-8
TBE_Stills_Webseite-15
TBE_Stills_Webseite-16
TBE_Stills_Webseite-17