Desert fire
Earlier this year, an extraordinary tournament took place: football’s “rebel World Cup” for stateless nations, minority ethnic groups and unrecognised territories. This surreal and vibrant spectacle is viewed through one of the most fascinating teams to take part – Kurdistan. Watch the full documentary here.
Discover more about Kurdistan’s team and the Conifa World Cup in the Guardian Weekend magazine this Saturday.
Desert Fire is commissioned as part of the Guardian Bertha documentary partnership, which aims to tell international stories with global impact.
Film-makers: Sebastien Rabas and Jack Losh
Sebastien Rabas and Jack Losh are a British film-making team with links all around the world. Their previous documentary for the Guardian, Rebels with a cause: Putin’s wolves in Ukraine, took us to the bizarre base of the Night Wolves biking group in Luhansk, eastern Ukraine, as they waited to pick up arms again to fight for the Russian side in this disputed territory. The film is a bronze award winner of the Lovies.
Kurdistan and the Conifa World Cup
Iraqi Kurdistan has been the frontline of fighting against Isis in recent years, strengthening its resolve for claiming full statehood. The Guardian has reported on the leadership’s request for boundaries to be redrawn in the Middle East after Kurdish peshmerga forces gained control of the key city of Sinjar from Isis. We’ve also reported the progress of the peshmerga towards retaking Mosul, and how the region’s autonomy makes it a relatively safe haven for refugees. Although this could eventually become overwhelming for the Kurdish regional government if Mosul’s liberation takes a long time. We have also covered Kurds in other regions, including the complexity of Turkey’s relationship with Kurds in Syria.
Our correspondent Shaun Walker previewed the Conifa World Cup at its start, providing background on the mix of teams competing. You can read more about the progress of all the teams in the alternative world cup on Conifa’s website, plus learn more about all its members – more than 40, some more obscure than others.
Participate
Like Kurdistan, there are other stateless nations and peoples fighting for independence. From Tibet to Chechnya, we’re interested in hearing how you preserve your customs and traditions. Whether you want to tell us about your nation’s food or language, you can share your stories with us.
Coming up: On the road: sex work in Italy
Italian seaside resorts are dealing with an unmanageable increase in young migrant women seeking a better life in Europe, making a living through sex work, and stuck in the asylum system. The organisation On the Road wants to help – but how does it do it? Published Friday 11 November – watch the trailer here
Guardian Live documentary screenings
The New Man – Wednesday 14 December 2016, 6.30pm–8pm, Bertha DocHouse, Curzon Bloomsbury, London
In partnership with Bertha DocHouse, we bring you an exclusive screening of The New Man, directed by Josh Appignanesi and Devorah Baum. Turning the camera on themselves, Josh and Devorah film the process of becoming parents at a time when late reproduction is the norm and masculinity in crisis. Having been through multiple rounds of IVF, the couple finally get pregnant, but when complications hit, they’re pushed to their limits. The New Man is a film for anyone who has children, is thinking of having them, or still feels like a child themselves.
Got a documentary idea?
Our documentaries are commissioned from independent film-makers with access to great stories. If you have a short documentary idea that could work for us email charlie.phillips@theguardian.com with a one-page proposal and a clip or teaser.
Membership
If you like what we do with documentaries at the Guardian, then please consider becoming a member. Our ability to investigate and expose stories such as these is made possible by our supporters. Join today to support our journalism.
