Golden Goal Presents: Offside

In Tehran, a girl (Shima Mobarak-Shahi) disguises her gender to elude the regime’s stadium ban against women ahead of a men’s qualifying match for the 2006 World Cup. When she is detained and jailed, she joins a group of riotous women bent on watching their country play. Bored but dutiful soldiers look after the women, and occasionally provide game commentary. Bold Iranian cinema luminary Jafar Panahi (It Was Just an Accident, No Bears) was inspired by his own football-loving daughter’s exploits to make Offside, filming at the actual match with two improvised outcomes prepared to anticipate victory or defeat.

Golden Goal, an independent literary magazine, explores the politics and allure of the World Cup. Celebrating this year’s series, BAM is thrilled to screen Offside, followed by a discussion with Iranian author Amir Ahmadi Arian and Solmaz Sharif, founder of Shirzanan, the first women’s sports magazine in Iran, moderated by Golden Goal co-editors Miguel Salazar and Alex Shephard.