20 Nov 2021
Doha, Qatar; Sunday 21 November 2021:
A group of Aspire Academy Student athletes and staff had taken some time to go and watch a documentary movie entitled” Captains of Zaatari”, at VOX Cinema in Doha festival city Saturday 13 November 2021.
Aspire Academy student athletes, who attended the movie, said to be very impressed by the story of this documentary, especially it reflects on real facts and events from the real life the refugees’ daily sufferings and difficulties. “watching the movie, I could quickly find out what many refugees around the world are encountering on daily life. I also learnt how lucky I am being in a place like Aspire Academy where everything is provided to me, and how I should take this opportunity to excel and be thankful. Learning how to transform hard time into success was just another key learning for me,” said Salem Al-Malki an Aspire Academy student athlete.
The movie, directed by the young Egyptian film maker Ali Elaraby and starred by two refugees camp youngsters, Fawzi Qatlesh and Mahmoud Dagher, and a purely humanitarian story of Syrian refugee’s youngsters living in the Zaatari refugees camp in Jordan, has been projected as part of the Doha leading Film Festival, Ajyal and has won prices from the festival jury (the best feature film award in the Hilal category)
The link between Aspire Academy and this movie and its starring heroes; Mahmoud and Fawzi, goes back 2017, the early first days of filming, where the academy sent a team of football scouts to zaatari camp to select some football skilled players to be part of a football team that the Aspire Academy took in charge to participate in one of its prestigious youth football tournaments : Alkass International Cup U-16 taking place yearly on its state of the art facilities in Doha.
the selected boys later formed a team named” Syria Dream”, a name that symbolizes hope and inspiration for a better future. The Aspire Academy higher management has provided them with all what they needed to prepare and participate at that world class tournament and play against leading international teams from Europe and elsewhere. They conducted a nearly one-month training camp at the academy where they used its state-of-the-art facilities (training fields, high tech gyms and five stars accommodations.)
Speaking about his documentary, Ali Elaraby, the film director, said:” I am very happy today to come back to Qatar to project my film which was filmed at Aspire Academy and with its support. Even happier to see today a group of Aspire Student Athletes attending to watch the movie, and I am sure they will learn a lot from it and see how other youngsters are living and make sure to use the given opportunity in the best possible way. Finally I would like to thank Aspire Academy for all the support of these refugees and for my movie.”