Nossa Chape : tragedy, after the tragedy

last Thursday, Rafael Henzel was still in Berlin. As a guest of honor at the opening gala of the international football film festival "11mm" in the Babylon cinema on Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz. He laughed and joked and told anecdotes, also about the one thing that shaped his life and not at all so Laugh and Joke. The radio reporter Henzel was one of the six Survivors, as in November of 2016, a plane in the Andes crashed. On Board, Bureau, Trainer, and 19 players of Associação Chapecoense de Futebol were, they were on the way to the final of the Copa Sudamericana in the Colombian city of Medellín.

Jeff and Michael Zimbalist have made a movie about this tragedy. "Nossa Chape" is coming this Thursday in the Berlin cinemas, a touching docu-drama, which was awarded on Monday with the audience award at the 11 mm festival. A few hours later, Rafael Henzel was dead. The victim of a heart attack, suffered after a football game in the circle of friends, with just 45 years.

The Journalist Rafael Henzel survived the plane crash, but died in result of a heart attack.Photo: Tercio Teixeira/AFP

It is a late tragedy after tragedy. The brothers Zimbalist know the Reporter Henzel and learned to appreciate, as they flew in December 2016, after a shot on goal, only for a couple of days after the accident. He was also, as the team a year and a half after the crash, once again, a plane boarded, this should bring you to Colombia. To have a game, and the other to play. The goalkeeper Danilo, who had survived a couple of hours with his family on the phone, before death took him. For the midfielder Ananias, whose girlfriend asked again and again in Colombia, whether at the scene of the accident maybe his shirt had been found, "but I just don't know anymore what number he had".

"Nossa Chape" is a Film about the impermanence and the difficult handling of it. There is not only a truth, "only different perspectives" says Jeff Zimbalist. "We are trying to be all righteous." Not only have the one, no longer get the pictures of the dead, friends, children, husbands from the head.

The camera does not spare the audience

The camera documented the pain of the bereaved and of the three surviving players so value as to the pioneering spirit of those who want to bring a clinically dead club back to life. They are not spared the audience of the collision, on the both sides are heading. Since the legal action, the effort, the women and Friends of the dead player against the club. The charged atmosphere among old and new players, it degenerates into the cabin, almost a fight. It's hard endurable seconds, if the Management about the value of sadness-muses Images, and the Trainer think about it, what media attention would give the club, if one of the three Survivors would be wearing the green Jersey of Chapecoense.

Also, Alan Ruschel, Helio Neto and Jackson Follmann belong to the travel company, which flies in may 2017, according to Medellín. The Film counts down the minutes and seconds down, but as the plane flies over shortly before landing, the crash, says Michael Zimbalist, a surprisingly muted reception. "We thought it would take the player emotionally. But they all sat since the crash have often come back in the plane“, even if not on the way to Medellín. Also, the game against Atletico Nacional not to the expected emotional climax. The Zimbalists to remember "a normal football is not a game" without any charging over the sporting competition, even if Medellin's 4:1 victory fits so well in the dramaturgy.

tears, hugs, fraternization

The day after, it still comes to a very special moment in time. As a Brazilian tour group gets on a Bus and goes to the hospital, which was in November of 2016 to the first supply earned. A woman hugs a nurse and thanks her, "you've become a part of my family." It continues in Bus up into the mountains, through steep and rough terrain, the last part must be done on foot. A police officer based Jackson Follmann, which was amputated after the crash, a lower-leg. Then, the Brazilians are finally at the point where the airplane crashed. Receiving from the Colombians, who had fought after the crash due to the rain and the darkness, in order to save what was still possible to save. Wooden crosses and photos of the dead appear through the fog.

The brothers Zimbalist are moved up to today from what they document in the seclusion of the mountains. Tears, Hugs, And Fraternization. Helio Neto pulls his phone out of his pocket and calls Barbara, the girlfriend of midfielder Ananias, the has to forget about their pain, wore which number for the friend. Neto says: "Barbara, I'm at the scene of the crash. Here is a photo of you and Ananias.“ And: "the Top of so many planes flying."

Grieving under the cross. Survivor, survivors, and emergency workers together to the site of the accident.Photograph: Luis Eduardo Noriega/Imago

Rafael Henzel sat on Thursday with his family at the Babylon on Rosa-Luxemburg-Platz. "Daddy, I want to be a Reporter," said his small son after the screening of the film. "Don't!", the father said, because who would want to experience such terrible things, as they were to see on the screen?