CFI to screen "The Boxing Girls of Kabul" by Oscar-nominated Canadian Ariel Nasr January 30

The Canadian Film Institute (CFI), will present a special screening of The Boxing Girls of Kabul on Wednesday, January 30, at 7:00 pm at the Auditorium at 395 Wellington Street in Ottawa, Canada.

Directed by independent Afghan-Canadian filmmaker, Ariel Nasr, this powerful documentary follows three young Afghan women, who risk everything in their pursuit to become world-class boxers, despite training without even the most basic facilities.

Led by their trainer, an ex-boxer who once dreamed of competing in the Olympics, the film follows his proteges as they travel to boxing competitions in Vietnam and Kazakhstan. The film also reveals the life-threatening risks these athletes and their families face by participating in a sport that many in their country believe is inappropriate for women.

A National Film Board production, The Boxing Girls of Kabul was nominated for a Canadian Screen Award while Nasr, the film’s director who makes his home in Montreal, was nominated for an Oscar in the Short Film - Live Action category for his work as a producer on the film Buzkashi Boys.

Nasr will be in attendance to introduce The Boxing Girls of Kabul and, following the screening, will participate in a discussion with CFI executive director Tom McSorley, as well as a question and answer session with the audience.

This special screening will take place at the Auditorium at 395 Wellington Street in Ottawa. Tickets are $12 for the general public and $8 for CFI members, seniors, and students and can be purchased on-site with the box office opening half an hour before the start of the film. Showtime is 7pm.

The Canadian Film Institute (CFI) was incorporated in 1935 as a federally-chartered, non-governmental, non-profit cultural organization. It is the oldest film institution in Canada and the second oldest film institute in the world. More information can be found online at www.cfi-icf.ca.