OFFSIDE
- dir. JAFAR PANAHI
- cast. SHIMA MOBARAK-SHAHI, SAFAR SAMANDAR, SHAYESTEH IRANI, AYDA SADEQI, GOLNAZ FARMANI
- year. 2006
- country. IRAN
- run-time. 93 mins
- rating. PG
LIKE A GIRL
- dir. CARIS RIANNE
- year. 2017
- country. UK
- run-time. 20 mins
£5.00 (£3.50 conc.)
Doors 6:30PM
Film 7:00PM
Winner of the Berlin Silver Bear, the comic, hugely entertaining Offside tells the story of a rebellious group of young football-obsessed girls who hatch an audacious plan to sneak into a world cup-qualifying game at the Azadi stadium in Tehran. First, they have to outwit a law that bans Iranian women from attending games.
A story inspired by director Jafar Panahi’s daughter’s own trip to a football game, Offside follows the girls' attempts to dodge soldiers monitoring the crowds, as well as unforseen problems such as how to use the toilet when there are no women's bathrooms. Musing on the excitement that sports can inspire, Offside explores Iranian gender politics, notions of patriotism and honour, and is the critically acclaimed Panahi's most accessible picture to date.
+ Like a Girl (short)
A doc short exploring the world of womens' football, Like a Girl looks at the prejudices, misunderstandings and excellence of female players through following football clubs in Harlow Town, Essex.
Director Caris Rianne will also be in attendance to introduce her film.
Also showing as part of Girls Get Goals!: Zanzibar Soccer Queens
“Comic and exuberant, bold and resilient... it is also acutely sensitive to the tensions simmering in a society where young people, only too aware of the possibilities offered by a globalised world, are asking when they too will be brought into the game”
“Likeable, gentle and charming... a quietly intelligent and humorous alternative look at football, pop culture and the position of women”
“A righteously provocative critique of the Islamic Republic’s oppressive treatment of women... there’s no denying its rough, rousing power or its relevance as an illuminating social document
”