Kick-off

In the remote village of Kök-Tash, Kyrgyzstan, where conservative norms confine women to domestic duties, an activist organizes a women's football tournament to challenge these patriarchal traditions. Stunningly filmed, visually captivating, and quite evocative, Kick-Off demonstrates how athletics has the power to break taboos, opposing the norms of traditionalism, while promoting gender quality in rigidly patriarchal societies, where women are left with no choice but to occupy the margins of solely inflexible, highly restrictive roles. Sports and play, being the most natural expression of human joy - unbound by limitations and uncontained, are the best response to the sullen “no’s” imposed by any form of oppression. With masterful aesthetics, cinematic power, and a splendidly fluid directorial approach, clear of any pretentiousness, this riveting film by Roser Corella and Stefano Obino, introduces us to a faraway world that is simultaneously so near us in our need for freedom, self-determination, and revolution.