Erin Heidenreich’s documentary “Girl Unbound: The War To Be Her” tackles the story of a young Pakistani woman who lived as a boy for many years just to have the chance to play a sport.
Heidenreich’s subject, Maria Toorpakai Wazir, disguised herself as a boy in order to play squash in Taliban-controlled Waziristan. “When it was discovered that she was a girl,” Heidenreich’s own description continues, “she received death threats from the Taliban and had to move to Toronto in order to continue to do the thing she loved most.” Heidenreich’s doc follows her back to the Tribal Areas of Pakistan where she attempted to play openly under death threats in her home country.
In an interview with Women and Hollywood, Heidenreich said, “I’m always drawn to stories about how women — and men — navigate their gender in a society where expectations of that role deliver something different than what feels right for that person. Maria’s story is exceptional in that she comes from an area where she could literally be killed for just being who she is: a woman and an athlete. She has an amazingly supportive father who has always believed in gender equality. The film brought up questions that are both personal and universal: How much would you risk to just be yourself?”
The film premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival this week. Watch the trailer below. No word on when the doc will hit theaters and/or VOD.
