London Film School graduate Aegina Brahim’s short film 'Laws of the Game' screened on Saturday at DBUFF, the Netherlands’ first urban film festival, founded to celebrate cinematic diversity.
“Taking place between the streets, football pitches and bureaucratic grey areas of Suriname, 'Laws of the Game' is a film about fairness, and the difficulty of following the rules when the complexities of life make compromise seem so much easier.” Based on a true story, it follows the life of Zeola, a single mother, prison guard and female referee in the Surinamese men's league. She dreams of officiating at the 2019 FIFA Women’s World Cup, but when an official within the Surinamese Football Association betrays her for his own benefit, she must fight to retain her FIFA licence. Based on the life of a 32-year-old single mother with an extraordinary passion for football, Laws of the Game is set in Suriname, in 2016, as the country is going through an economic meltdown.
Aegina Brahim is a Dutch-Surinamese filmmaker with 7 years’ experience on films in Europe, Los Angeles, New York, and North Africa. She graduated from London Film School in 2016, and is the only filmmaker of Surinamese origin to have ever done so. Aegina directed her first feature in 2016, Brothers in the Sand, a documentary about five brothers running six marathons in the Sahara Desert. She is also managing partner of Cape Films, which is currently producing a slate of film and TV projects. Laws of the Game is a collaboration with several other London Film School grads, including producer Regina Seifart, who comes from Germany, and Brazilian cinematographer JP Garcia.
The film has already been extremely well received, with multiple screenings, a Q&A and an honourable mention in the 'Best Short Film' category at the BFI London Film Festival, as well as screenings, awards and official selections all over the world, including the Lady Filmmakers Festival in Beverley Hills, the NYC Indie Film Awards and the Cape Town International Film Market and Festival.
Festival Information
DBUFF (Da Bounce Urban Film Festival) takes place in Amsterdam in early November and is the Netherlands' first urban film festival. With its variety of new releases, classics, narrative features, shorts and documentaries, the events celebrate cinematic diversity. DBUFF also organizes Q&A's, panel discussions and workshops, as well as live performances and after parties. DBUFF offers a platform for initiatives that stimulate the landscape of urban film, aiming to “build bridges, stimulate growth and offer insights into the great potential within the urban film segment.”