'81
Fall Grants 2019 - Development Stage
Dawood Anwari, Ali Al-Anssari / Feature Narrative / Qatar / 120 min / Original Language: Arabic, English / Interests: Action, Sports, History, Based on a True Story, Epic
Synopsis
When tasked by officials to pursue entry into the ‘81 FIFA Youth World Championships in Australia, Evaristo finds himself in the position of building a team from scratch. After initial doubt, Evaristo’s outlook changes once he starts scouting for talent on the dirt-covered streets of Doha. After hand picking a team of misfits, they embark on a journey of various training camps. There, the team learns to adhere to Evaristo’s method; the off-side trap and counterattack. The team qualifies and even prevails in the first round of the tournament, only to realize that they will play against the most projected to win; Brazil and England. Through determination, skill, and strategy, Evaristo leads the Qatari team to their fullest potential. They lose the tournament, but they return as heroes, winning the hearts and minds of Qatari citizens and football fans around the world.
Credits
- Screenwriter
- Fahad Al-Kuwari, Mohammed Al-Ibrahim, Yasser Al-Naemi, Ali Al-Anssari, Dawood Al-Anwari
About the Director
Ali Al Anssari is a media graduate from Bangor University in North Wales. He began practising photography many years ago and has now made the transition to cinematography and directing. Al Anssari directed ‘I’ in 2012 and 'Qarar' in 2014, both of which have been invited to numerous film festivals, and were featured in the Short Film Corner at the Festival de Cannes. He currently works for Qatar Museums and is a member of the Qatari production company Innovation Films.