The London Olympics 2012 are here. At the weekend I went to see women's indoor volleyball at Earl's Court cheering on team GB v Russia and the Dominican Republic v Italy. Rather than cheering on a particular team, it was great to celebrate the first time that all teams participating have a women's team!
Upon my return to the Hague I wanted to watch a movie in the spirit of women's equality and empowerment through sport. Off to the ICC library I went to find.. Offside (2006) by Jafar Panahi. The movie is a brilliant comedy about a bunch of young girls who want to watch a world qualifier football match between Iran v. Bahrain. However, since Irani women are not allowed in the stadium, the girls disguise themselves as boys and attempt to get past the soldiers and stewards at the event.
Entertaining and intelligent, the film is based on Panahi's daughter who attempted to get into a football stadium in Iran. The film won the Silver Bear at the Berlin Film Festival in 2006 but was banned in Iran. A fantastic mix of sport and equal rights rhetoric. Watch it.
This post is dedicated to my friend Caitlin Fisher, Fullbright scholar and co-founder of the Guerreiras Project . More information on this project can be found here.
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