Carolina Panthers RB Christian McCaffrey rushed for a team-high 1,098 yards in 2018 while also leading the NFL team with 107 receptions for 867 yards. He even threw a touchdown pass.
Together they have now put together a film entitled “Unicorn Town” that follows Alfieri over the course of three seasons.
Christian McCaffrey
McCaffrey is the executive producer while Alfieri handled pretty much everything else. Alfieri, who played college football at Georgetown, was the main character of the film, playing for the Unicorns while also directing, producing, filming and editing every step of the way.
“It’s an underdog story about the rise of a team,” McCaffrey said. “And it’s amazing to see the influence that American football has on this small town in Germany. The whole town rallies behind American football. It’s kind of unheard of.”
McCaffrey and Alfieri met through Alfieri’s younger brother, Joey, who was McCaffrey’s best friend and roommate at Stanford.
“I minored in film in college, so I’ve always been into movies and TV shows,” McCaffrey said. “My job in this has just been to let Nick do what he does best. He’s very talented, and I just want to help in any way I can.”
Alfieri, who has played for Schwäbisch Hall for the past three seasons, had been enrolled in USC’s legendary film school when he returned to the football field to play for the Unicorns in 2016.
Nick Alfieri
Ever since, he has been using his film making talents to document his experience as a football player in Germany with the help of a local cinematographer.
“Football in Europe has never been on screen really,” Alfieri said. “The story that unfolded is actually kind of crazy.”
A teaser trailer for the documentary was released this past week, marking the culmination of an arduous, three-year long process.
Alfieri:
“It’s been over three years of work and the anticipation just builds and builds. It’s hard to know when the story is complete with documentaries because you are kind of finding it as you go. But the story is there and it feels really good.”
McCaffrey:
“It’s like you’re practicing for three years for one game. Everything that’s been done, all the chips are in on one game. It’s pretty special.”