André Schäfer and Joachim Król
André Schäfer and Joachim Król
Brand Partner Borussia

Documentary film

You'll never walk alone

Week after week, tens of thousands of soccer fans in stadiums all over the world offer the assurance: "You'll never walk alone." Evonik accompanied actor Joachim Król on the search for the origin of this anthem.

In the documentary film "You'll never walk alone" actor Joachim Król follows the trail of the worldwide hit that almost everyone knows, either from soccer or from a musical. “But very few are aware that behind the song lies a fascinating, surprising, and so far largely unexplored cultural history of the 20th century,” says Markus Langer, head of Brand Communication at Evonik, “a history where Jewish artists and intellectuals stand at the critical turning points.” As the main sponsor of Borussia Dortmund and partner of the Jewish Museums in Berlin and Frankfurt, Evonik supported the production of the film.

"When you walk through a storm, hold your head up high..."

Who would have imagined that the roots of the soccer anthem went back to the Budapest of the early twentieth century? In 30 days of filming, director André Schäfer and his team went on a short world tour and a journey through time: Out of a Hungarian play comes a Broadway musical, of which the movie finds its way into the Liverpool working class of the 1960s, from where it conquers the soccer stadiums of the world.

"Walk on, walk on, with hope in your heart"

For nearly six months Evonik followed the filming of the documentary on the world’s best-known soccer anthem in the social media and at www.evonik.com/ynwa. The journey led actor Joachim Król to New York, Los Angeles, right across Europe, to the port cities of Liverpool and Hamburg, and of course to the Ruhr District, into the soccer stadiums of Westfalia Herne and Borussia Dortmund. Along the way Król made some amazing discoveries and encountered many fascinating personalities from the worlds of soccer, theater, music, and film: BVB's Lars Ricken put in an appearance, as did Jürgen Klopp, ballet star Jacques d'Amboise and Gerry Marsden.

"...and you'll never walk alone, you'll never walk alone"

To keep going with hope in your heart: That’s the message of the song “You’ll never walk alone.” In loss or defeat it’s important to hold your head up high and never give up, says Langer. And that’s as true in life as in soccer. The film "You'll never walk alone” will have its cinema premiere in Essen’s Lichtburg on May 16. On May 18 it will be released in selected cinemas throughout Germany.

Shooting "You'll never walk alone" in Europe and the US

Start of shooting in Budapest
Start of shooting in Budapest
With actress Mavie Hörbiger in Vienna
With actress Mavie Hörbiger in Vienna
Joachim Król browses through old albums with director André Schäfer
Joachim Król browses through old albums with director André Schäfer
Filming of soccer in Herne
Filming of soccer in Herne
In New York’s Times Square
In New York’s Times Square
Filming with ballet star Jacques d'Amboise at the National Dance Institute in New York
Filming with ballet star Jacques d'Amboise at the National Dance Institute in New York
Visiting conductor Thomas Hengelbrock in Hamburg
Visiting conductor Thomas Hengelbrock in Hamburg
With BVB's Lars Ricken in Dortmund
With BVB's Lars Ricken in Dortmund
Currywurst with BVB's stadium announcer Norbert Dickel
Currywurst with BVB's stadium announcer Norbert Dickel
It's a wrap! A visit to Jürgen Klopp in Liverpool
It's a wrap! A visit to Jürgen Klopp in Liverpool

„You’ll Never Walk Alone“ is a Florianfilm production, supported by Film- und Medienstiftung NRW with additional support coming from BVB’s main sponsor, Evonik.