User:Kambai Akau/Khartoum Offside

Khartoum Offside (original title: Oufsaiyed Elkhortoum) is a 2019 Sudanese sports documentary film directed and screenplayed by Marwa Zein. The film was first globally premiered in the 2019 Berlinale Forum in Germany and is one of the about three notable Sudanese films to be premiered in 2019 but is yet to be premiered in Sudan. The feminist film began with the lines: "“Under the current political Islamic military rule, women are not allowed to play football in Sudan – and we are not allowed to make films – but…”" as a central message to the documentary.

Production
It took Zein four years to make this documentary, who in the process might not had encountered physical assault but received threats by Sudanese authorities to destroy the cameras. It was shot in Khartoum, Sudan, and produced by Marwa Zein for ORE Productions and Hendrik Underbjerg for Stray Dog Productions, Copenhagen and Oslo.

Plot/Synopsis
With great determination, a set of young ladies in Khartoum are out to play professional football, in defiance to imposed ban by the Sudanese Islamic Military government. With bravery and courage, they struggle to get an official recognition as the Sudanese National Women’s team amidst the laughability of their goals.

Captain Sara (Sara Jubara), a young lady with entrepreneurial thinking but with financial handicap is one of sports women searches for business models to assist bring their dreams into fulfilment as she assembles a Sudanese team for the FIFA Women’s World Cup. Coupled up with the sponsorship needs are key societal challenges they have to face.

Cast

 * Elham Balatone as Elham
 * Nedal Fadlallah as Henda
 * Fatma Gaddal as Gaddal
 * Sara Jubara as Captain Sara
 * Halah Zakariya

Release
IMDb has it that the film was released on February 13, 2019. The film was premiered at the Berlin International Film Festival, Visions du Réel, CPH: DOX, Sheffield, Hot Docs and IDFA. The film was premiered at the Hot Docs Canadian International Film Festival on April 26, 2019.

The film was screened online via Zoom alongside another feminist Afro-Arab films, The Bleaching Syndrome (2020), in Arabic with English subtitles, by Dardishi on October 24, 2020.