Trailer for The Third Half.
Inspired by real events, The Third Half is a moving story of love and loyalty during wartime explored through the prism of a country’s passion for soccer. In Macedonia, in 1941, Kosta, a cocky soccer player falls in love with Rebecca, a beautiful Jewish woman from a wealthy family. When they decide to marry, her father disowns her.
As war rages on their borders, most Macedonians remain cocooned in a world of patriotic pleasures. Everyone longs for Kosta’s team, Macedonia FC, to catch a winning streak. To facilitate their chances, their manager hires the legendary German-Jewish striker-turned-coach Rudolph Spitz.
But when the Nazis occupy Macedonia and start deporting Jews, Kosta and his teammates must summon the courage to stand up for what’s right. Director Mitrevski notes, “I was seeking witnesses of various historic periods for a TV series when someone mentioned Mrs Neta Koen. I found myself in her apartment listening to her stories: She was one of the few Holocaust survivors in Macedonia, a country in which 98% of the Jewish population was brutally wiped out during the WWII.” Her story inspired this movie.