Amazing true story inspires Leo Burnett campaign for TMB

The film features at its heart the island of Koh Panyee in the South of Thailand. The floating fishing village literally clings to a rocky outcrop in the middle of the sea.

In 1986, inspired by the World Cup in Mexico, some kids in the village got the idea to start their own soccer team, despite the fact that there wasn’t an inch of soil to play sport of any kind on the island.

“In their own very humble way, the real life story of these children showed that by thinking differently they were able to create positive change in their life – which made this story ideal for our campaign. It’s truly inspiring to see what they achieved,” said Sanpathit Tavijaroen, creative director of Leo Burnett & Arc Worldwide Thailand.

The Glue Society’s Matt Devine directed a short film of their story – based on interviews with many of the actual children involved, who are now adults.

Devine said they wanted to create a story which mirrored the charm of the people and the magic of the landscape. “To create authenticity, we chose to use local kids from the island to star in the film. This added to the challenge of shooting on water, completely in Thai – but we felt the story would be more powerfully told by recreating and witnessing the challenges the original kids faced.”

To that end, the kids helped the production team rebuild the floating soccer field – and their soccer skills are all very much their own.

The original team was reassembled for the cameras and their success has spawned a lively team spirit - so much so that Koh Panyee FC is now one of the most dominant teams in the Thai league.

Credits:

Client TMB Bank Public Company Limited, Thailand
Agency Leo Burnett & Arc Worldwide Thailand
Creative director Sanpathit Tavijaroen
Art director Park Wannasiri
Copywriter Puttipong Pattanapongsagorn, Chanwit Nimcharoen
Producer Sompetch Nuntasinrapachai
Account service Suthasi Sukpornsinchai, Phatarada Tritiprungroj
Director Matt Devine of The Glue Society
D.O.P Geoffrey Simpson
Producer Alice Grant
Production company Revolver Film