Since my early years, I have been passionate about playing football in my yard alongside my male friends. At the age of fourteen, I entered into the realm of female football training, eventually competing in various

tournaments. I found immense joy in this sport and observed my skills improving. However, living in a

patriarchal society, I have been subjected to numerous toxic comments about my appearance and

expectations to be more feminine.

Faced with this dilemma, I had to make a crucial decision: either pursue a professional football career or focus on my education and choose a field of study. If I had received more encouragement and backing from my family and relatives, there would be no doubt in my mind that I would have chosen the path of football, as it was my beloved activity with the potential to become a profession. I aspire to represent my personal journey through a short fiction film, expressing the essence of my experiences and emotions through creative means.

Saadat Sataeva 21 year-old- artist, filmmaker from Central Asia, Kyrgyzstan. Growing up queer as a young woman and football player in Kyrgyzstan, I encountered hardships daily, occupying a cultural blind spot in daily life as well as heritage and film. Being a creative person, I learned to express myself subtly through art.