Directing duo Burnermunde via production company Stink bring their social realist sensibility to Nike x Palace’s latest U.K. World Cup campaign, a poetic and fevered portrait of an ever-evolving England.
Starring football legends Wayne Rooney and Jill Scott, the film reframes national identity against the heightened theatricality of Shakespeare. Rooney auditions for the part, delivering a speech from Richard II in a tight, searching close-up, skull in hand, dressed head-to-toe in Nike x Palace. Meanwhile Scott descends onto Earth as the mystic being behind Stonehenge and the inception of football. A surreal and layered collision of then and now.
Across a series of vignettes, from EastEnders-inspired weddings to suited-up uncles, young lads in flag-painted cars and folklore, the film reclaims the St George’s flag from stereotype and tension, placing it back into the hands of the diverse people it represents.
“At its core, we wanted to reimagine what England means,” shared Burnermunde in a joint statement. “Not in a grand, patriotic way. More like: this is what it is. England isn’t one thing. It’s always changing.”
Rooney’s presence grounds that idea. Rather than presenting him as untouchable sporting royalty, Burnermunde leaned into his everyman quality, nervous and familiar. An homage to the classic Nike archetype where an athlete faces doubt, finds rhythm, but ultimately lands the shot.
Produced by Stink UK in collaboration with Stuart Hammond for concept and creative, Nike and Palace’s in-house creative teams, and VFX by creator Finn Dove, the film slips between realism and cosmic absurdity.
The campaign marks Burnermunde’s first commercial project with Stink, following a growing body of original work that has established the directing duo as distinctive new voices in British filmmaking. Their ongoing Burner Wednesday series, released on YouTube, has built a cult following through raw portraits of contemporary British life, while their short film Hufflepuff recently garnered momentum off the back of a feature at the BBC Comedy Festival.
