Offside (1:39) 2006

Iranian filmmaker Jafari Panahi comedy takes place during the Iran v Bahrain soccer game taking place in Tehran. The winner of the game will proceed to the Word Cup. Excitement is running high as the stadium is filled to capacity -  with men, women are not allowed in the stadiums. Several young women are determined to enter the stadium dressed as men. A handful of women are rounded up and placed in a holding area inside the stadium. They can't see the action but can hear the cheers when Iran scores. The women bond during the time they are being held and later celebrate on the bus on the way home. Offside is based on an incident in the director's real life. Panahi's young daughter asked to go inside the stadium while a game was being held. She was not allowed but was able to sneak in somehow. As an American woman, it was hard to imagine that my entrance to a sporting event would be prohibited. When the film was finished, I watched the interview with the director. Panahi related that Offside was prohibited from being screened in Iranian theaters but CDs were distributed on the street so many of the Iranians had an opportunity to watch it at home.