''The Boxing Girls of Kabul'' is a 2012 Canadian documentary film directed by Ariel Nasr. The film follows young women boxers, under which
Sadaf Rahimi
Sadaf Rahimi (pronounced sad-aff or suh-daff last name: ra - he - me) is a female boxer from Afghanistan. She made history by being the first female boxer to be invited to the 2012 London Olympics and being the first female boxer in the national ...
, and their coach Sabir Sharifi at
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
’s female boxing academy, as these athletes face harassment and threats in their efforts to represent their country in international competition and attempt to qualify for the 2012 Olympic Games.
Training takes place at Ghazi Stadium, Afghanistan’s national stadium, which had previously been the site of executions by the
Taliban
The Taliban (; ps, طالبان, ṭālibān, lit=students or 'seekers'), which also refers to itself by its state name, the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan, is a Deobandi Islamic fundamentalist, militant Islamist, jihadist, and Pasht ...
.
The 52-minute documentary was produced by
Annette Clarke
Annette Clarke (born 1983; married name Annette Collins) is an Irish sportswoman. She played ladies' Gaelic football with her local club, Kilkerrin-Clonberne, and with the Galway county team.
Playing career
Clarke won the All-Ireland Junior ...
for the
National Film Board of Canada
The National Film Board of Canada (NFB; french: Office national du film du Canada (ONF)) is Canada's public film and digital media producer and distributor. An agency of the Government of Canada, the NFB produces and distributes documentary f ...
.
Julia Kent
Julia Kent is a Canadian cellist and composer from Vancouver, Canada, and based in New York City, United States. She has performed as a member of Rasputina (band), Rasputina and with Antony and the Johnsons.
Musical career
Kent creates music us ...
composed music for the film.
Festivals and awards
''The Boxing Girls of Kabul'' premiered at
International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam
The International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA) is the world's largest documentary film festival held annually since 1988 in Amsterdam. Over a period of twelve days, it has screened more than 300 films and sold more than 250,000 tic ...
Inspirit Foundation
Inspirit Foundation is a Canadian, non-profit and granting organization, working to promote inclusion and pluralism through media and arts, support for young change leaders and impact investing – specifically addressing discrimination based on ...
Pluralism Prize. In March 2013, the film won best short documentary at the
1st Canadian Screen Awards
The 1st Canadian Screen Awards were held on March 3, 2013, to honour achievements in Canadian film, television, and digital media production in 2012. Other awards include Best Documentary at the Viewfinders International Film Festival for Youth in Halifax (April 17 to 21 2012), and an Honourable Mention for the
Colin Low Award
The Colin Low Award is an annual Canadian film award, presented to honour the best Canadian documentary film screened at that year's DOXA Documentary Film Festival. The award frequently, but not always, presents an honorable mention
An award, ...
In Demand
In Demand (stylized as iN DEMAND) is an American cable television service which provides video on demand services, including pay-per-view. Comcast, Cox Communications, and Charter Communications (with former independent companies Time Warner Cab ...
. Other broadcasters include
TV5 Québec Canada
TV5 Québec Canada (abbreviated to TV5) is a Canadian French-language specialty channel that focuses primarily on programming from international French-speaking broadcasters.
The channel shares a broadcast licence with its sister network, Unis, ...
,
Direct TV
DirecTV (trademarked as DIRECTV) is an American multichannel video programming distributor based in El Segundo, California. Originally launched on June 17, 1994, its primary service is a digital satellite service serving the United States. It ...
France Televisions
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
NHK
, also known as NHK, is a Japanese public broadcaster. NHK, which has always been known by this romanized initialism in Japanese, is a statutory corporation funded by viewers' payments of a television license fee.
NHK operates two terrestr ...
.
See also
*'' Buzkashi Boys'', a 2012 short drama produced by Nasr, nominated for the
Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film
The Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film is an award presented at the annual Academy Awards ceremony. The award has existed, under various names, since 1957.
From 1936 until 1956 there were two separate awards, "Best Short Subject, One- ...