Lift Like a Girl

Lift Like a Girl is an observational documentary and a coming of age story about Zebiba; a young Egyptian girl who dreams to be a world champion weightlifter. With the help of her coach Captain Ramadan she pursues this unusual dream against all odds, as she trains daily in the middle of the street in Alexandria. Zebiba actually wants to be the next Nahla Ramadan; who is the coach's daughter, trainee, a former world champion, an Olympian and one of the most famous Egyptian athletes of all times. However, when Zebiba is at the doorway of her dream, Captain Ramadan passes away, turning her world upside down.

Lift Like a Girl is a film that tackles gender, social and class issues in Egypt by following Zebiba, from the age of 14 as she prepares for her first local championship, till the age of 18 as she wins three gold medals in the African Junior Championships in 2018. Although it has the traditional sports narrative, it is not a story about winning but on the contrary the acceptance of loss. Unlike many films dealing with sports, the biggest loss in Zebiba's life is not a championship or a sport event, but the loss of her coach. Throughout the 90 minutes of the film, Zebiba grows eventually as she learns that she can’t win all the time and that life is about both winning and losing.

Here's our fundraising trailer, to give you a better idea about the characters, mood and setting.
https://vimeo.com/201685492
Password: LLAG2018

Грант предоставил Awesome Without Borders (August 2019)