Offside in 35mm

Since 1979, women in Iran have been barred from attending male sporting events, though intrepid female fans often disguise themselves as men to gain access. After his daughter tried the same on multiple occasions, filmmaker Jafar Panahi co-wrote this narrativized account of young women who attempt to sneak into the June 2005 Iran/Bahrain FIFA World Cup-qualifying match in Tehran. Oscar-nominated screenwriter Panahi uses the backdrop of the actual 2005 game to underscore the overwhelming male presence in public spaces and the inequality faced by women in 2006—a reality still pervasive 20 years later—as well as the value of community solidarity in the face of oppressive regulations on the populace.

Academy Museum film programming generously funded by the Richard Roth Foundation.

2006 | 93 min. | Iran | Color | Persian | Rated PG | 35mm.  

DIRECTED BY: Jafar Panahi 

WRITTEN BY: Jafar Panahi, Shadmehr Rastin 

WITH: Sima Mobarak Shahi, Safar Samandar, Shayesteh Irani, M. Kheyrabadi