Gymnast
A film by Habiba Nosheen
The
GYMNASTS of
FISHERMAN
COLONY
In a place where girls and sport rarely mix, The Gymnasts of Fisherman Colony is a coming-of-age documentary where joy, ambition, and quiet rebellion take root as three teenage girls carve out space for themselves, one somersault at a time.
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The Film
A quiet rebellion,
set in motion
The Gymnasts of Fisherman Colony is an intimate coming-of-age documentary by 3X Emmy Award-winning filmmaker Habiba Nosheen that follows three teenage girls in Pakistan, offering a rare and tender portrait of girlhood, joy, and play told through the eyes of young Pakistani girls navigating the margins of society.
At its core, THE GYMNASTS OF FISHERMAN COLONY is a story of hope and quiet defiance. Through the intimate journeys of three teenagers we witness as their passion for gymnastics begins to clash with deeply rooted expectations around what girls can and cannot do. The film follows their journey as they find themselves straddling two polar opposite worlds as they push to make space for themselves through gymnastics. The result is a lyrical and deeply human portrait of three young girls from a corner of the world we rarely see on screen. These are girls who dare to dream.
Country
Pakistan / Canada / USA
Language
Urdu, English, Bengali
Runtime
93 minutes
Premiere
Tribeca Film Festival
Participants
Gymnast
Kiran
Gymnast
Anwara
Also featuring
Coach
Furqan
Human Rights Lawyer
Tahera Hasan
Screenings
Catch the film
in person
Jun 12, 2026
5:45 PM
World Premiere · Tribeca Film Festival
AMC 19th St. East 6 · New York, NY
Jun 9, 2026
6:30 PM
World Premiere · Tribeca Film Festival
AMC 19th St. East 6 · New York, NY
The Team
The filmmakers
Director / Producer
Habiba Nosheen
Habiba Nosheen is a Pakistani-born Peabody and three-time Emmy award-winning journalist and filmmaker. Her film “Outlawed in Pakistan” premiered at the Sundance Film Festival where it was called “among the standouts” of Sundance by The Los Angeles Times. Her latest feature film, The Gymnasts of Fisherman Colony, will have its world premiere at Tribeca Film Festival in Documentary Competition.
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Habiba received the 2025 Chicken and Egg Award. Previously, she was named DOC NYC's 40 under 40. Her films have been supported by PBS FRONTLINE, JustFilms, The Firelight Media, ITVS, The Center for Asian American Media, CBC, The National Film Board of Canada, Canada Media Fund and others. She has taught filmmaking at Columbia University. She splits her time between Toronto and New York. She is a proud adoptive mom.
Producer
Amar Lohana
Amar Lohana co-founded Akelo Media as a home for nonfiction storytelling, focused on character-driven stories by and about communities of colour. He produced the documentary Bodies for Rent for CBC Docs, an investigative documentary that exposes deeply troubling practices within the pharmaceutical industry in their treatment of human test subjects.
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He previously edited and produced the feature documentary The Devil's Advocate (2021), a look into the American justice system through the lens of three lawyers who defend terrorists, which was funded by ITVS and Firelight Media. Prior to filmmaking, Amar spent 15 years working in technology and finance in New York.
Executive Producers
Executive Producer
Malala Yousafzai
Malala Yousafzai is an education activist, the youngest-ever Nobel laureate, best-selling author and investor in women's sports. She was born in Mingora, Pakistan in 1997 and graduated from Oxford University in 2020.
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Executive Producer
Mariska Hargitay
Mariska Hargitay plays Captain Olivia Benson on the NBC series LAW & ORDER: SVU, where she is also an Executive Producer and Director. She has won an Emmy for Outstanding Actress in a Drama, a Golden Globe Award, and two Gracie Allen Awards for American Women in Radio and Television.
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In 2004, Mariska created the Joyful Heart Foundation, which works to transform society's response to sexual violence. Central to the foundation's advocacy work is the “End the Backlog” campaign, which aims to eliminate the backlog of untested rape kits across America and create comprehensive rape kit reform. She produced the HBO documentary I AM EVIDENCE on the topic, winning the 2019 Emmy Award for Best Documentary. Mariska also co-produced EMANUEL, a documentary about the Charleston, SC church shooting, and MY BEAUTIFUL STUTTER, a documentary about a summer camp for young people who stutter. She was recently named to Time Magazine's “TIME100 Philanthropy 2025: The 100 most influential people shaping the future of giving at a pivotal moment.”
Executive Producer
Trish Adlesic
Trish Adlesic has received two Academy Award nominations and an Emmy for her documentary work. She recently produced Mariska Hargitay's My Mom Jayne for HBO.
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Trish's films, The ABC's of Book Banning, I Am Evidence, A Tree of Life: The Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting, Gasland, and Gasland II have been powerful catalysts for social change. Trish brings over two decades of experience in narrative filmmaking to her projects. She is a dedicated member of the Academy for Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the Producers Guild of America, and the Directors Guild of America.
Click for full film credits+
A film by
Habiba Nosheen
Produced by
Amar Lohana
Habiba Nosheen
Executive Producers
Malala Yousafzai
Mariska Hargitay
Trish Adlesic
Lauran Bromley
Ashley McDermott
Elaisha Stokes
Jenni Wolfson
Amar Lohana
Michelle McCree
Habiba Nosheen
Shelley Saywell
Robin Smith
Anna Maria Tremonti
Co-Executive Producers
Ricardo Acosta
Shizuka Asakawa
Bina Shukla
Editor
Lawrence Jackman
Cinematography by
Tess Girard
Nadir Siddiqui
Muhammad Asif Faraz
Original Music
Kalaisan Kalaichelvan
Original Song
"Yeh Barhi Baat Hai"
Performed by Eva B
Country
Pakistan / Canada / USA
Language
Urdu, English, Bengali
Runtime
93 minutes
Premiere
Tribeca Film Festival
Impact
Community
How can you help the girls & school
We have been asked how people can support the school and the gymnastics team featured in the documentary. Here is the link to donate to the school directly:
Donate to the school →Impact campaign
We are embarking on a year-long screening tour around the world to engage in community screenings of the documentary. If you would like to help our outreach efforts you can contribute via Women Make Movies.
Donate to Women Make Movies →Stay connected
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For Press
Press kit, key art,
and stills
Contact
Get in touch
For press, distribution, partnerships, educational screenings, or general enquiries — we'd love to hear from you.