Freedom Fields (ملاعب الحرية)
Ajyal Competition
Naziha Arebi / Feature Documentary / Libya, United Kingdom, Netherlands, United States of America, Qatar, Lebanon, Canada / 2018 / 97 min / Colour / DCP
In Arabic, English / English subtitles
Interests: Documentary, Sports
MENA Premiere
Rated: Mature subject matter. Not suitable for minors. Individuals under the age of 18 are not admitted into cinemas.
Synopsis
At the new dawn of a nation once cut off from the world, a dynamic group of women from fractured sides of the revolution come together to play football. A Doha Film Institute granted film, ‘Freedom Fields’ is a story about hope and sacrifice in a land where dreams seem a luxury. Filmed over five years, it follows three brave women and their efforts to build a team in post-revolution Libya, as the country descends into civil war.
The challenges they must overcome to achieve their dream of playing for their country are nothing short of remarkable. Throughout, they struggle to gain support, respect, and even the right to play, as certain segments of the community don’t approve of their ambitions.
Through the eyes of these accidental activists, we see the reality of a country in transition, where the personal stories of love and aspirations collide with history. A love letter to sisterhood and the power of teamwork, the film perfectly encapsulates the broader challenges facing women in contemporary Libyan society.
About the Directors
Naziha Arebi is a Libyan-British artist and filmmaker who returned to Libya after the revolution to work and explore her father's homeland. Naziha has produced various short films, worked extensively in the MENA region as a cinematographer and is a HotDocs Blue Ice and a Sundance Lab fellow. Her artwork has been published extensively in print and exhibited globally and alongside her first feature 'Freedom Fields', she is also producing 'After A Revolution', in collaboration with Met Film (UK), EIE Film (Italy) and Urban Republic (USA).
Credits
- Director
- Naziha Arebi
- Screenwriter
- Naziha Arebi
- Producer
- Flore Cosquer, Naziha Arebi
- Editor
- Ling Lee, Alice Powell, Maya Hawke
- Executive Producer
- Sonja Henrici, Noe Mendelle, Leslie Finlay (Creative Scotland)
- Music
- Katya Mihailova
- Cinematographer
- Naziha Arebi
- Sales Company
- Wide House
- Production Company
- SDI PRODUCTIONS LTD (UK), HUNA PRODUCTIONS (LIBYA)
- Sound
- Giovanni Buccomino