Champions (2021 film)

Champions (Arabic: أبطال) is a 2021 Saudi Arabian-Spanish sports comedy film written and directed by Manuel Calvo.^[1] It is an Arabic-language remake of the 2018 Spanish film of the same name.^[2] Starring Yassir Al Saggaf and Fatima Al Banawi.^[3]

Champions
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Manuel Calvo
Written by	Manuel Calvo
Produced by	Andrés Vicente Gómez Marco Gómez Stuart Sutherland
Starring	Yassir Al Saggaf Fatima Al Banawi
Cinematography	Josep M. Civit
Edited by	Pablo Blanco
Music by	Amer Tashkandi
Production companies	Al Maha Al Arabi Al Maha Films Arabian Horses Creative Media Solutions
Distributed by	Universal Pictures
Release dates	December 10, 2021 (2021-12-10) (RSFF) March 10, 2022 (2022-03-10) (Saudi Arabia)
Running time	93 minutes
Countries	Saudi Arabia Spain
Language	Arabic

Synopsis

After losing a match, Khaled is summoned to a disciplinary court. The sentence comes down and Khaled is forced into unexpected community service: banished from his prestigious job, he must now train a team of amateur players with disabilities. A task he despises, before opening his eyes to these players who are often discriminated against because of their disability.^[4]

Cast

• Yassir Al Saggaf as Khaled
• Fatima AlBanawi as Nada
• Khalid Alharbi as Nasser
• Walid Baeshin as The father
• Maya Bakhsh
• Khairia Nazmi

Production

Principal photography started at the end of February 2020 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia with plans to shoot for 7 weeks there and then in Dubai,^[5][6] but could not finish filming due to the COVID-19 Pandemic.^[7] The last scenes had to be filmed a year later, at the expense of the lifting of restrictions in the country.^[7]

Release

It had its world premiere on December 10, 2021, at the Red Sea International Film Festival.^[8] It was released commercially on March 10, 2022, in Saudi Arabian theaters.^[9][10]