“Rihla: The Journey” gives tribute to Qatar in light of the world cup through the lens of a talented freestyle footballer from Kerala, Hadiya Hakeem. The film, made by Abdul Hannan and Marwa Salah, shows how the ball is similar to life itself, in the way it is in “perfect rhythm” with one always.
Hadiya Hakeem, with 102K followers is known for her freestyling content on Instagram. Her control of a football is fascinating to watch, the clips of her doing her magic with a football are wedged within the harmonious montage, making the film a captivating watch.
Hadiya was invited by FIFA to participate in the Influencer Cup held in Doha earlier this year as part of the run-up to the FIFA World Cup 2022. She was brought up in Qatar and the film credits the middle eastern state for cultivating the dreams and desires of expatriates like her.
Read the description of the film below: “What does it feel like growing up in one country and living in another. Our minds are flexible to our culture as our sense of belonging. Growing up as the next generation of expatriates who migrated overseas in search of hope, we often carry the buds of cultural integration that the space provided us in our dreams, desires, and thoughts. Rihla is our tribute to Qatar through Hadiya in it’s glory of the world cup.”
Watch:
