We Dare to Dream is the story of refugee athletes from Iran, Syria, South Sudan and Cameroon who swim, run and fight their way to opportunity and safety in host nations across the world. Spanning a breadth of backgrounds, personal stories and Olympic sports, the film reveals their lives and hopes as they train to compete on the world stage, showing the fire and the drive of young people forced to leave their families, homes and countries of birth to build new lives out of nothing. Directed by Academy Award® nominated Waad al-Kateab (For Sama), executive produced by Angelina Jolie, and produced by Academy Award® winner Joanna Natasegara (The White Helmets, Virunga, The Edge of Democracy) and Emmy-winning producer Abigail Anketell-Jones (The Edge of Democracy, The Nightcrawlers) of Violet Films, two time Academy Award®-nominated producer, Bryn Mooser (Body Team 12, Lifeboat) and Kathryn Everett of XTR Studios and Joe Gebbia of Studio Gebbia, We Dare to Dream is a tale of resilience and inspiration, hardship and loss, hope and home.

Culminating in their competition at the summer Olympics, their compatriots back home and their new communities in refugee camps watch as these determined young athletes fight for their place in the world. This is their story of heart in the face of adversity, and most of all, hope for a better life.

Festivals & Awards: Tribeca Film Festival 2023

About the filmmaker:

Waad al-Kateab is a Syrian activist and Oscar®-nominated filmmaker. She became a citizen journalist in 2011, after protests broke out across Syria against the Assad regime, and in January 2016 she began documenting the horrors of Aleppo for Channel 4 News in a series titled, “Inside Aleppo” which received an International Emmy for breaking news coverage.

Al-Kateab’s first feature documentary, For Sama, documented her life over five years in Aleppo. The film, co-directed with Edward Watts, received worldwide critical acclaim, winning numerous awards, including the Prix L'Œil d'or for best documentary at Cannes Film Festival, Best Documentary BAFTA, and a nomination for Best Documentary Feature at the 2020 Academy Awards®.

In 2018, al-Kateab and her family became refugees and settled in the UK where they continue to run their advocacy campaign, Action For Sama, which aims to raise the voices of Syrians, and awareness about the situation on ground, while seeking accountability for the war crimes committed by the Syrian and Russian regimes. al-Kateab has received several personal recognitions for her work as an activist and filmmaker, including the IDA Courage Under Fire Award and a place in the 2020 Time100 List of Most Influential People. In 2021, she was announced as the recipient of the Academy Gold Fellowship for Women by The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences.