Melis Birder

An underdog basketball team under the helm of an idealist school teacher from hard scrabble Diyarbakir in Southeastern Turkey goes beyond winning games in their mission to rise above prejudice, poverty and political turmoil created by the decades long conflict between the Turkish state and Kurdish rebels who are fighting for local autonomy and cultural rights.

A sparkling young Baghdadi woman, Kawkab, leads us around her city with a mischievous glint. Defying the stereotype of the Muslim woman, she is not afraid to speak her mind about anything, from sex, love, and virginity to her pro-Saddam patriotism. The film paints a unique picture of the current situation in Iraq from her perspective - totally different from the U.S. media's coverage as it measures the cost of war by body counts and dollars spent. Kawkab reveals an intimate and human side of Baghdad, speaking with compelling optimism of her hopes and joys.

An underdog basketball team under the helm of an idealist school teacher from hard scrabble Diyarbakir in Southeastern Turkey goes beyond winning games in their mission to rise above prejudice, poverty and political turmoil created by the decades long conflict between the Turkish state and Kurdish rebels who are fighting for local autonomy and cultural rights.

A sparkling young Baghdadi woman, Kawkab, leads us around her city with a mischievous glint. Defying the stereotype of the Muslim woman, she is not afraid to speak her mind about anything, from sex, love, and virginity to her pro-Saddam patriotism. The film paints a unique picture of the current situation in Iraq from her perspective - totally different from the U.S. media's coverage as it measures the cost of war by body counts and dollars spent. Kawkab reveals an intimate and human side of Baghdad, speaking with compelling optimism of her hopes and joys.