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After a civil war broke out in Syria 5 years ago, FIFA suspended the Arab nation from playing its 2018 World Cup qualifying home matches at its home venues. Soon after, a foreign invasion followed suit, and the ensuing turmoil impacted the country so badly that the national football league had to be halted, with most of Syria’s talented footballers playing in leagues in UAE, Saudi Arabia, Oman, Lebanon and Iraq.

In this short documentary, we portray the current predicament of the Syrian national football team, for whom neighbouring Oman is the ‘home’ ground for the World Cup qualifiers. Despite being devastated by war, they have performed exceptionally well in their qualifying campaign, advancing to the third round defying all odds. Barring Japan, the Syrians hammered all other teams on their way.

The man who has guided the team to this success is Fajr Ibrahim, the coach of the team, who is well-known for his sharp and stinging stand on what he sees is a foreign-fuelled crisis in his country. The documentary digs out the frustration of a bunch of highly committed footballers from a war-torn country, now living out of a suitcase in their bid to inch towards World Cup qualification. It also brings out the determination of the players as they are sending out a screaming message to the world through their football – that the Syrian spirit is very much alive.

  • Ratna Chakraborty
    Director
    Her Darkroom, Freeze, Where Lonliness Rules
  • Nadim Siraj
    Producer
    Her Darkroom, Freeze, Where Lonliness Rules
  • Fajr Ibrahim
    Key Cast
  • Project Type:
    Documentary
  • Runtime:
    9 minutes 30 seconds
  • Completion Date:
    August 17, 2016
  • Production Budget:
    950 USD
  • Country of Origin:
    India
  • Country of Filming:
    Oman
  • Language:
    English
  • Shooting Format:
    Digital
  • Aspect Ratio:
    16:9
  • Film Color:
    Color
  • First-time Filmmaker:
    No
  • Student Project:
    No
  • 11th Tehran Sports Film Festival (FICTS)
    Tehran
    Iran, Islamic Republic of
    Official Selection
  • Echo Film Festival BRICS

    Russian Federation
    Official Selection
  • Volgograd International Independent Film Festival
    Volgogard
    Russian Federation
    Official Selection
  • Indian Peacock International Film Festival
    Kolkata
    India
    Official Selection
  • Al Nahj International Film Festival
    Karbala
    Iraq
    Official Selection
Distribution Information
  • self project
Director - Ratna Chakraborty