AFF Flim Club announced that on Wednesday 21 June, the AFF Film Club will host a special preview screening of the major new documentary film The Defenders.
The screening will include a Q&A with special guests Hakeem al-Araibi, Craig Foster and Adelaide-based writer/director Matthew Bate, hosted by former Adelaide United player Bruce Djite.
The Defenders is the story of Bahrain refugee footballer Hakeem al-Araibi and his supporters, including Craig Foster, former Socceroos captain and human rights activist.
When Australian resident Hakeem al-Araibi stepped off the plane in Thailand in 2018 to begin his honeymoon, he found himself surrounded by police with an Interpol arrest order accusing him of terrorist activity.
What unfolds in the film is the gripping true story of an heroic whistle-blower who, after speaking out about his own torture, sets off a revenge plot involving three countries, two royal families and the world’s most powerful sporting body, FIFA.
As Hakeem awaits extradition back to Bahrain where he will likely be killed, a rag-tag group of campaigners led by a retired Australian football captain turned television pundit (Foster), play out a nail biting thriller, racing against the clock to save Hakeem’s life and the very soul of football itself.
The Defenders is directed by Matthew Bate and produced by Gal Greenspan of Sweetshop and Green.
Available on Prime Video from 23 June in Australia and New Zealand.
The Defenders
21 June 2023, 7pm
Wallis Piccadilly, North Adelaide
