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| Speed Sisters. Click to enlarge. |
Distributed by Dogwoof. Introduced (3 Sep 2015) by Pekka Lanerva, Janne Sundqvist, and Sara Norberg.
Love & Anarchy 28th Helsinki International Film Festival (HIFF).
DCP viewed at the HIFF general press information event, Maxim 1, Helsinki, 3 Sep 2015
Introduction from the HIFF catalogue and website:
"When one of the profiled figures in a documentary comments, “The smell of tear gas reminds me of my childhood,” it’s obvious that we’re not in Kansas anymore. Rather, Amber Fares’ film is set in Palestine, chronicling the Middle East’s first all-women race car team. Delivering a lively portrait of its trailblazing subjects while examining the cultural and political complications attendant to their pursuit of becoming the region’s “Fastest Women Driver,” Speed Sisters is an eye-opening doc that succeeds in its goal of shattering stereotypes."
"The team consists of drivers Marah, Mona, Betty and Noor, as well as their manager Maysoon, all of whom reveal sharply distinct personalities. The film details the myriad problems the women encounter (…). Simply getting around is a logistical nightmare, with Israeli military checkpoints omnipresent."
"Interweaving the personal stories with rough-hewn footage of the racing competitions, Speed Sisters is an entertaining portrait of its engaging subjects who have become instant role models for young Palestinian women."
Frank Scheck, The Hollywood Reporter
AA: An exhilarating documentary by the Palestinian Amber Fares on the first all-female race car driving team in the Middle East.
It is a true tale of multiple transgressions. The women defy the patriarchal oppression of the Arab world. The Palestinians defy the almost insurmountable obstacles in moving in the current circumstances of Israel and Palestine.
It is a tale of an action with symbolic resonance. Where latitude is almost non-existant our heroines become race car drivers.
We see a lot of action and cover a lot of ground in Palestine and Israel. This is a novel approach to a tragic knot of world politics. Politically, we learn only the Palestinian side of the issue and are not reminded of the agendas and practices of Hamas, Fatah, Hezbollah, and Iran against Israel.
The movie focuses largerly on the drivers, and we are given portraits of each, all quite different. Marah is the champion, a great professional. Howard Hawks would have loved her. Betty is the beauty queen. Mona is in it for the pleasure of speed. Noor agonizes over the difficult racing routes.
The visual quality: a compilation from extremely variable sources. A lot of the footage has an amateur video look, perhaps even a mobile phone video look.
EIJA NISKANEN'S CATALOG INTRODUCTION BEYOND THE JUMP BREAK:
EIJA NISKANEN'S CATALOG INTRODUCTION BEYOND THE JUMP BREAK:
Speed Sisters on arabimaailman ensimmäinen naisrallitiimi. Olosuhteet harjoitteluun eivät ole kummoiset, sillä Länsirannalla ajotilan sulkevat Israelin armeijan tarkastuspisteet ja jatkuvasti pitenevä muuri. Speed Sistersin viisijäsenistä tiimiä miehityksen alla eläminen ei pysäytä. ”Pitäisikö meidän muka lakata elämästä?” kysyy yksi heistä.
Speed Sisters -dokumentti ravistelee mukavasti uutisista saamaamme käsitystä palestiinalaisista uhreina sekä median antamaa kuvaa Lähi-idän naisista. Nämä naiset haluavat saavuttaa jotain elämässään ja antavat palaa pakoputki käryten kyynelkaasusavussa. Autoja rakennellaan niistä tarpeista, joita käsiin saadaan. Apuna ovat Länsirannan miespainotteisen ralliporukan jäsenet sekä ennen kaikkea tyttöjen suurimmat fanit, heidän omat isänsä. Kaikille ajaminen on tapa purkaa kovan elämän paineita ja unohtaa todellisuus hetkeksi.
Jokainen viidestä kuskista on omanlaisensa persoona, myös ajotyyliltään. Yksi on hienossa huvilassa asuva varakkaan perheen tytär, toinen elää kolmatta polvea pakolaisleirissä. Kolmas on Meksikossa syntynyt latino. Kukin tarvitsee Israelin puolelle ajaakseen eri kategoriaan kuuluvan luvan. Mutta niin poikatyttö kuin glamour-kuvissa poseeraava kaunotarkin mahtuvat samaan tiimiin.
Eija Niskanen (HIFF catalogue)
Director Amber Fares will attend the screenings of Speed Sisters at Kinopalatsi 8 on 22nd of September at 6.30 PM and at Maxim 2 on 23rd of September at 6.15 PM.
Official synopsis: The Speed Sisters are the first all-woman race car driving team in the Middle East. Grabbing headlines and turning heads at improvised tracks across the West Bank, these five women have sped their way into the heart of the gritty, male-dominated Palestinian street car-racing scene. Weaving together their lives on and off the track, SPEED SISTERS takes you on a surprising journey into the drive to go further and faster than anyone thought you could.
Soundtrack:
Maryam Saleh
Hanouneh
Youssra El Hawary
Khalas
DAM
Who Killed Bruce Lee
Ana Tijou (feat. Shadia Mansour)
Kareem Roustom
Ayesha Mendham
(Reham)
Hana Malhas
Rasha Shaheen
The Wanton Bishops
Luna Abu Nassar
Apo & The Apostles
Merna
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