A winner of the Best Documentary award at Adelaide Film Festival and lauded at numerous other festivals including Hot Docs, Canada, Speed Sisters has been described as a “refreshing stereotype-breaker and a vivid illustration of the diversity of the Palestinian experience” (Anthony Kaufman, Indiewire).
With the West Bank as a backdrop, tense military occupation sadly the norm and their civil liberties restricted, five young Palestinian women establish themselves as the first all-female race car driving team in the Middle East. Vying for recognition in a male-dominated sport, this fascinating study reveals them as remarkable women battling repression of all kinds: access to practice grounds, gender bias and societal pressures as well as internal disputes.
As fast and as furious as the cars, Amber Fares’ first feature-length doc is a lively yet layered portrait of modern womanhood, interweaving rough racing footage with personal perspectives. An engaging and immersing experience, Speed Sisters offers a much-needed glimpse into Palestinian lives and could be a valuable addition to education programming for young and old audiences alike.
