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Offside (Jafar Panahi, Iran, 2006)

  • The Vine 86 Highgate Road London, England, NW5 1PB United Kingdom (map)
The great virtue of Offside is that it never degenerates into an us-versus-them situation. [Director Pahani] understands that a repressive system victimizes the oppressors as much as the oppressed.
— Kenneth Turan, Los Angeles Times

Tehran, 2005, and the city is galvanised by a World Cup qualifying match at the Azadi stadium between Bahrain and Iran. Although women are banned from watching, a number of them attempt to slip into the stadium disguised as men - leading to unexpected consequences... Funny and fierce in equal measure, Offside is an affectionate glimpse into the cultural schisms that young Tehranis face every day.