SYNOPSIS
Afifa Saad is wrestling with passion. She is a star soccer player in the Premier League but while the game stirs devotion and fervour in Afifa, so does her religion. For Afifa, soccer and Islam are on a collision course. One passion must be pushed aside but when it is, a new one soon comes knocking. Walid is on holiday from Lebanon and has fallen in love with Afifa. While his country smoulders from recent war, Walid’s visa is ticking down and Afifa has to deal with saying goodbye to another love.
AFIFA'S MATCH PREMIERED ON SBS ON AUGUST 1st 2007
Q: What was the inspiration behind this documentary? How did it come about?
Claudia Rowe: Fervour, passion and devotion for the round ball game was the original inspiration for Afifa’s Match. I’ve always been drawn to the rapture that surrounds soccer and Afifa really embodied this. When she plays she is so dynamic and powerful – very compelling to watch. Afifa was already well-known as a soccer player but as I was welcomed into the very large and generous Saad household, it became obvious that her identity was also richly layered with family, culture and religion. And amongst it all, a new romance was blossoming.For Changing Teams we originally intended to follow the story of the driving school that Shameem operates to teach other Muslim women to drive. One of her clients, Margie, is a recent revert to Islam after growing up Catholic. She was going through some major lifestyle changes – reverting to Islam, moving to a small country town, getting engaged – and as it all unfolded it became the dominant focus of the episode while Shameem took on more of a supporting role.
Q: What do you like/find challenging about making documentaries? Did you encounter any particular challenges in making this documentary and, if so, how did you overcome them?
Claudia Rowe: Making docos means you get to meet people you probably wouldn’t otherwise encounter. That’s the best thing. And I was lucky to have characters who were not only willing and interesting but had great senses of humour. The most challenging thing about it was trying to juggle all the hospitality that was lavished on me – camera in one hand, coffee, cake and kebab in the other. It was also quite challenging trying to anticipate the action in spontaneous, crowded and lively conversations and covering it properly as a solo operator. I never did master the sound recording.
Q: How does the documentary relate to your past work, if at all? Was this film a natural next step or a radical departure from your previous work?
Claudia Rowe: This doco (series) is different to my past work but I have never really had two jobs that are alike. I have a pretty varied work history – spanning from ABC TV’s race around the world ten years ago to projects in remote Aboriginal communities to set dressing for drama series. But I’ve loved working on Halal mate and I’m keen to stick with documentary if I can.
Q: Any other production anecdotes/stories?
Claudia Rowe: As Afifa's family got used to having me around, I started to feel like part of their extensive-extended family and I soon found myself making the videos for 3 weddings and an engagement, after the original doco had wrapped. They were all very colourful, lively and joyous occasions and I couldn't help thinking it would be great to just put the camera down and cut some shapes on the dancefloor with everyone else.
Q: Apart from "it's a masterpiece" what would your ideal viewer response to the doco be?
Claudia Rowe: It would be great if the series just demystifies ordinary Muslim people and viewers can engage emotionally with the characters and their journeys.
Q: What is your next project or what are you working on now?
Claudia Rowe: Looking forward to the next gig - tba!
