Yahoo Autos ‘Ayenda,’ Doc About Afghan Women’s Soccer Team’s Daring Escape From Taliban, Gets Trailer Ahead of Tribeca Premiere (Exclusive)
The trailer for Ayenda, the upcoming documentary short from MSNBC Films and Time Studios about the Under-18 Afghan National Women’s Football Team, has been released a day before its world premiere at the Tribeca Festival on Saturday, June 10.
The film — from director Marie Margolius, who produced alongside Connor Schell, and with a list of exec producers that includes Trevor Noah and Rashida Jones — tells the true story of how members of the team carried out a daring escape from their homeland in 2021 after Kabul’s fall to the Taliban. In the trailer, the women listen to the phone call they received telling them that they needed to leave Afghanistan immediately, giving them instructions on what to do.
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Ayenda is set to air on MSNBC and Peacock this summer, as well as get a theatrical qualifying run for the 96th Academy Awards.
See the trailer below
Ayenda is just one of several films from the world of soccer premiering in Tribeca this year.
Other documentaries include Mighty Penguins, from directors Louis Myles and Ahmed Twaij and focused on the Brentford Penguins, a team of young players who all have Down’s Syndrome. The film follows the coach, the players and their families as they prepare to be the guard of honor at a match in the English Premier League.
In War Games, two 12-year-old soccer captains and rivals in war-town Ukraine pick through shrapnel and rubble to play the game they love, gearing up for an overdue match against each other amidst blaring sirens and missile threats. The doc comes from director Matt Danzico.
Meanwhile, in the narrative feature world, Marinette, from director Virginie Verger, tells the story of French soccer star Marinette Pichon, who made history in 2002 when she signed for a professional team in Philadelphia (female players still aren’t recognized as professional in France), a move that meant she no longer had to hide her sexuality. Garance Marillier plays Pichon in the biopic.
Beyond these four films, on June 10 Tribeca will also host NYFEST/Tribeca Fundraising Soccer Tournament, now in its 12th year and helping raise money for organizations helping underserved youth in New York. The tournament, which partners with Tribeca Film Festival, was founded by Sony Pictures Classics executive Dylan Leiner, and past participants include teams from Warner Bros., NBC Universal, Time, the Tribeca Film Festival, and more.
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