Qatar Stars
Qumra Projects
/ Feature Documentary / Qatar, USA
In Arabic, English, Russian, Ukrainian
Rated: This film has not been rated.
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Synopsis
Qatar Stars follows The Olympic Stars, a rhythmic gymnastics team for girls aged 9-15. In this longitudinal coming-of-age story, we profile the schools most promising gymnasts as they experience the joys and complications of girlhood in a rapidly shifting, and sometimes contradictory, contemporary Middle East. Envisioned by former Russian rhythmic gymnast Tatiana and her Bangladeshi husband Manzoor, their school is a small but growing business. The third partner is Haya, a Qatari national and former gymnast herself. They share an entrepreneurial spirit committed to girls’ empowerment and opportunity. Their aspiration is to present the first official Qatari team at professional “juniors'' level international competitions. The professional team are the top gymnasts—girls from Qatar, Lebanon, Egypt, the UK, and Ukraine. Each displays talent, drive, ambition. Yet each is also a budding adolescent with insecurities, a need for friendship, social media obsessions, and the occasional meltdown. In short, a typical pre-teen. This four-year story is told through the girls, their families, and the school. Each of the characters, adults and children, serve as a microcosm of the population of Qatar, a country primarily composed of expats co-existing alongside Qatari nationals. The Olympic Stars school brings many nationalities together through sport.