The management of the 42nd Cairo International Film Festival revealed that the Egyptian film titled Lift Like a Girl will participate in the official competition for international films, marking the film's premiere in the MENA region.
Directed by Mayye Zayed, the feature-length documentary will still have its world premiere during the upcoming Toronto International Film Festival scheduled to take place between 10 and 19 September.
According to the brief released by the filmmaker Zayed on IMDb, the documentary follows a women’s weightlifting community that train in the streets of Alexandria, focusing on 14-year-old Zebiba as she pursues her dream of becoming a professional weightlifter.
"Her coach Captain Ramadan believes so much in her and never takes no for an answer. He has been training world champion weightlifters for more than 20 years, including his daughter Nahla Ramadan, the former world champion, an Olympian and the pioneer of weightlifting in Egypt, as well as Abeer Abdel Rahman, the first Arab female 2-time Olympic medalist. For 4 years, Zebiba goes through victories and defeats, including major losses that shape her, as she finds her way from dust to gold," the brief reads.
Zayed has previously worked on shorts Iskenderia (2012) and A Stroll Down Sunflower Lane (2016), also writing their scripts.
She was also one of the six directors and scriptwriters of the collaborative production of drama Odet El-Feran (2013).
For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at @AhramOnlineArts and on Facebook at Ahram Online: Arts & Culture
Short link: