This Short Film Is an Intimate Portrait of Football, Faith and Belonging

‘Sisterhood’, a new short film directed by Sara Taleghani and produced by Untold Studios, offers an intimate portrait of the UK’s first Muslim women’s grassroots football team and the community built around belonging as much as the beautiful game.

At its heart are Yasmin and Fathiya, the co-founders of Sisterhood FC. The daughter of a former Somali professional footballer, Yasmin came to the UK as a child after fleeing civil war. Arriving without English, she found her footing through football and discovered how the game could give an outsider somewhere to belong.

Years later, Yasmin met Fathiya at university. Their friendship led to the creation of Sisterhood FC, a space where Muslim women could play football without being asked to compromise their faith, identity or choice of clothing.

The team grew into a community whose members train, compete and show up for one another every week. Sara’s film captures the women not just as footballers, but as they truly are: funny, competitive, warm and full of life. It is less a conventional football film than a portrait of sisterhood.

Sara joined Sisterhood FC during the pandemic, when football became a way for her to reconnect with herself after lockdown. Having moved to London from Ireland alone, the team gave her a community at a moment when she needed one most.

Untold Studios director Sara Taleghani said, “I didn't want to make a film about Sisterhood FC. I wanted to make a film that felt like being in Sisterhood FC. That warmth you feel the moment you arrive, the way every person who walks through that door is treated like they already belong. That's what makes this team unlike any other I've ever played for, and that’s what I wanted the film to capture.”

The film explores why spaces such as Sisterhood FC are still essential. While the team offers its players somewhere safe and welcoming to play, football more widely continues to be affected by sexism, racism and Islamophobia.

Head coverings including the hijab were only fully permitted under international football rules in 2014. In France, the national football federation continues to prohibit conspicuous religious symbols during official competitions, including at amateur level. In February 2025, the French Senate also approved a bill seeking to extend restrictions on religious clothing across organised sport, although the proposal has not yet completed its passage through the French parliament.

For Sara, that wider context makes Sisterhood FC’s work especially urgent: “We need places like this to exist. Places that accommodate minorities, that say you are welcome here and don't ask you to leave any part of yourself at the door.”

Filming began three years ago with a small, nimble crew and very little budget. Production had to fit around the players’ jobs, commitments and real lives, with the project relying heavily on people giving their time and expertise for free.

Its journey also came to reflect the challenges facing the team itself. Sisterhood FC has always kept its training sessions and games free, removing cost as a barrier to participation. However, sustaining that model requires external funding. The team has been unable to play for the past year because it does not currently have the funding needed to keep its pitch running.

The film is therefore both a celebration of the community Sisterhood FC has created and a call to invest in its future. Sara is releasing the documentary in the hope that it will help the team secure the support it needs to return to the pitch.

A private screening of Sisterhood, followed by a panel discussion, will take place at Untold Studios on Thursday 13th August. To attend, please RSVP to hannahleagas@untoldstudios.tv​