»Change takes time, and comes with frustrations, with ups and downs. Shobe and Ayesha are role models, they can change lives for future generations of girls who have been seeing the world through their eyes and that deserve our support. The film demonstrates how small interventions can bring about a huge change.« – Elizabeth D. Costa

Bangla Surf Girls takes us into the heart of a slum near Cox’s Bazar in Bangladesh. The young protagonists join a local surf club and dream of a life of freedom without fixed gender roles. Forced marriage is also a subject they are regularly confronted with. On their surfboards, Shobe, Ayesha and Suma summon the courage to resist social constraints and family pressure. Following the ups and downs of the waves, the film reflects the highs and lows of the girls’ everyday lives: on the one hand, their shared enjoyment of sport and training together, on the other, a life of poverty and hardship. The documentary captures the profound emotions and dangerous family dynamics. Their new-found confidence is put to the test again and again, but giving up is not an option for the surfers.

Awards for Bangla Surf Girls
Best Documentary; Fearless Filmmaker – Coronado Island Film Festival 2021 |  Audience Award – What If? Women In Film Festival 2021 |  Best Film; Best Director – Vancouver Asian Film Festival 2021 | Best Feature Documentary – Bushwick Film Festival 2021 | Best Surf Documentary – Paris Surf & Skateboard Film Festival 2021 | Women in Surf Award – Portuguese Film Festival 2021 | Best Feature – Oakville Festival of the Arts 2021 | Accolade Award – Accolade Global Film Competition 2021

Advice on individual programs and booking of performances for daycare groups and school classes at:
kinderundjugend@frauenfilmfest.com