Culver City, CA – Critically acclaimed, and the winner of the 2006 Berlin International Film Festival (Silver Berlin Bear) and an official selection at both the New York Film Festival and the American Film Institute Film Festival, Offside, a Sony Pictures Classics film, is a smart comedy illustrating the fight for women’s rights in Iran.  Director Jafar Panahi’s (The Circle, Crimson Gold) inspirational and poignant tale of perseverance and hope, depicting the lengths some resilient Iranian women will go to see a forbidden soccer match, comes to DVD on August 28 for an SRP of $29.95.

Jafar Panahi’s films are often described as Iranian neo-realism.  Although all of his films, including Offside, have been banned by Iran, he continues to make movies which explore the very human side of the conflicts in his native country.  In the case of Offside, he used a fake name and false papers in order to get permission to shoot at an actual soccer match in Iran.  As a result, Offside has a documentary feel which captures the very real humor and determination of the Iranian women – and men – who love soccer and are willing to go to extreme lengths for the opportunity to cheer on the home team.  The DVD release of Offside includes an interview with Panahi.

Synopsis
Who is that strange boy sitting quietly in the corner of a bus full of screaming fans going to the football match?  In fact, this shy boy is a girl in disguise.  She is not alone; women also love football in Iran. Before the game begins, she is arrested at the checkpoint and put into a holding pen by the stadium with a band of other women all dressed up as men.  They will be handed over to the vice squad after the match. But before this, they will be tortured -- they must endure every cheer, every shout of a game they cannot see. Worse yet, they must listen to the play-by-play account of a soldier who knows nothing about football.  Yet, these young girls just won’t give up. They use every trick in the book to see the match.
 
  DVD Catalog #:   17097   
  DVD UPC Code:   0-43396-17097-1   
  DVD Order Date:   7/26/07   
  DVD SLP:   $29.95   
  Running Time   93 minutes   
  Rating   PG for language throughout, and some thematic elements  


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