INDIA’S WUSHU WARRIOR GIRL
Director(s): Jayisha Patel
Producer(s): Aloke Devichand (Senior Commissioning Producer for Al Jazeera English); Fiona Lawson-Baker (Executive Producer for Al Jazeera English); Hugh Hartford (Producer for Banyak Films)
2016 | 25 min | India
Languages: Hindi | English
Fareeha is a 14-year-old Muslim schoolgirl who dreams of becoming a champion fighter. Her school in southern India started teaching the Chinese martial art, wushu, amid rising concerns about violence against women. Fareeha soon falls in love with the sport and qualifies for the national championships. But her family decides she can’t go, deeming it inappropriate for a girl to fight in public. Fareeha negotiates these complex issues at home, and wins them over. She emerges the winner in her category and has a clear message: “Girls should get the same freedom boys do. We can do everything they can”.