9/2/11

Documentary on Iraqi women's basketball team: SALAAM DUNK!


STORY: Two years ago, most of the women on the basketball team at the American University of Iraq - Sulaimani (AUIS) had never been running before. Many had never played sports. None had ever been on a team with other women. They came from all corners of Iraq to attend this prestigious school, but many cannot tell family back home they go to an "American" university.

Through traditional interviews and private confessional video diaries, Salaam Dunk follows the ethnically diverse AUIS women's basketball team as they discover what it means to be athletes. From the joy of their first win to the pain of losing the coach who started their team, the film gives a glimpse into an Iraq we don't see on the news.

CREW: 
DAVID FINE - director: David has worked in the film and television industry in a variety of disciplines (Camera Operator, Editor, Post Production Supervisor). After co-founding Seedwell, David has been directing the company's viral & commercial work. He loves shooting documentaries and pulling down rebounds. Salaam Dunk is David's first feature film. 
SAN SARAVAN - director of photography: San is a Kurdish-Iraqi filmmaker who has been involved in productions throughout Africa, the Middle East and Europe. Most recently, San worked as a Producer/Director for the Institute for War & Peace Reporting. He speaks Kurdish, Arabic and English, plus a bit of Farsi, Turcoman and Turkish. San's 15 year filmmaking career has taken him to every corner of Iraq.
BILL WEBER- supervising editor Bill has edited multiple documentaries for HBO including The Final Inch , one of five Oscar nominees for Best Documentary Short in 2009. Weber edited and co-directed The Cockettes, which premiered at Sundance and Berlin in 2002 and won the LA Film Critics Documentary of the Year. Most recently, Bill edited and co-directed We Were Here, another official selection at Sundance and Berlin in 2011.
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