We were delighted to partner with the Harrogate Film Society on a special screening of The Long Away Game, directed by Hannah Congdon, shown alongside two other short films focusing on Afghan women: the BAFTA-nominated Yellow (directed by Elham Ehsas) and Oscar-winning How to Skateboard in a Warzone (If you’re a Girl) (directed by Carol Dysinger).
The films were followed by a very moving Q&A around Afghan women’s rights and the experiences of refugees in the local area – with an audience that brought together Harrogate’s refugee community, the local football club, and Harrogate Film Society members.
The Long Away Game
A young woman stands on the sidelines – the roar of the crowd in the background – waiting to walk onto the pitch.
Meet 26 year-old Sabriah Nawroozi, a former player for the Afghan national football team. When the Taliban regained control of the country in 2021, her world turned upside down. She was evacuated from Kabul on a flight funded by none other than Kim Kardashian – in a rescue operation the papers coined a ‘modern day Schindler’s List’.
We follow her as she embarks on a new chapter as the community captain of her Yorkshire football club, finding freedom and belonging at the heart of Harrogate Town FC. But memories of the life she was forced to leave in Afghanistan are never far from her thoughts.
An inspirational story about one woman’s fight for the right to follow her dreams.