Iranian Documentary About Teen Girl Thai Boxer ‘Maydegol’ Picked Up by Taskovski Ahead of Berlinale Premiere (EXCLUSIVE)
Taskovski Films Sales has picked up Iranian documentary “Maydegol,” which will have its world premiere at the Berlin Film Festival in the Generation 14plus section.
The film, directed by Iranian filmmaker Sarvnaz Alambeigi, focuses on an Afghan teenage girl, living with her parents in Iran. The film follows her as she strives to pursue her dream of becoming a professional Muay Thai boxer, despite her family’s conservative mindset, enduring physical abuse, and anti-immigrant sentiments. Working day and night, she finances her Thai boxing classes without her family’s knowledge.
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Alambeigi said: “‘Maydegol’ embodies the harsh reality of marginalized women seeking a better life abroad.” Irena Taskovski, CEO and head of sales at Taskovski Films, added: “The film is a poignant portrayal of immigration realities, championing the fight for women’s rights globally.”
The film is produced by Alambeigi through Rabison Art Productions in Germany and Katayoon Shahabi at Noori Pictures in France.
Alambeigi’s 2017 short documentary film “Cypher and Lion” was released at the Tehran Museum of Contemporary Art. In 2021, “Maydegol” won the Saxon Award for the best documentary project by a female director at the 64th edition of DOK Leipzig, and Alambeigi was awarded the prize for best pitch at the Sunny Side of the Doc Global Pitch. Alambeigi’s most notable work is “1001 Nights Apart,” which won the VFF Documentary Film Production Award at DOK.fest Munich. It was shown in cinemas across Germany in 2022, as well as on TV channels such as Arte, SVT, TVO and Avrotros.
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