AFRICAN WOMEN IN CINEMA BLOG: April 2026

African Women Make Sports Movies

The African Women in Cinema Blog celebrates the 2026 International Day of Sport for Development and Peace which spotlights the theme “Sport: Building Bridges, Breaking Barriers,” underscoring sport’s unique capacity to foster connection, inclusion, and peace in an increasingly fragmented world.

The empowering experience of sports in the lives of African girls and women has been the focus of a number of films by African women in the past decade.

Representations of African girls and women athletes may also serve as a means to educate the public about the accomplishments of girls and women in sports that are generally male-dominated, such as weight-lifting and boxing.

A selection of relevant links from the African Women in Cinema Blog highlighting African women's storytelling through sports:

Boxing. Iman Djionne: La Boxeuse | Boxing Girl
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2020/02/festival-films-femmes-afrique-2020_17.html

Boxing. Jessie Chisi: Between Rings
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2014/09/jessie-chisi-talks-about-between-rings.html

Soccer. Naziha Arebi: Freedom Fields
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2019/09/naziha-arebi-freedom-fields-afrika-film.html

Soccer. Florence Bamba: Numero 10
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2021/01/recent-films-florence-bamba-numero-10.html

Soccer. Florence Ayisi: Soccer Queens
http://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2010/06/florence-ayisis-soccer-queens.html

Soccer. Marwa Zein: Oufsaiyed Elkhortoum | Khartoum Offside
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2019/01/oufsaiyed-elkhortoum-khartoum-offside.html

Weightlifting. Mayye Zayed: Ash Ya Captain | Lift Like a Girl
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2020/08/mayye-zayed-ash-ya-captain-lift-like.html

Motorcycling. Joan Kabugu: Throttle Queens
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2021/11/joan-kabugu-throttle-queens.html

Running. Amleset Muchie
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2021/02/nyaff-2021-amleset-muchie.html

Women and girls' empowerment
http://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2014/06/african-women-make-soccer-movies.html

Differently-abled - Child Soldiers
http://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2014/11/world-premiere-flying-stars-by-ngardy.html

Resistance - Revolution
https://africanwomenincinema.blogspot.com/2011/09/rama-thiaw-young-filmmaker-in-struggle.html