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
Oct 17, 2026
4:30 PM
Vermont International Film Festival
Main Street Landing Black Box · Burlington, VT
Oct 18, 2026
4:40 PM
Rocky Mountain Women's Film Festival
Celeste Theatre - Cornerstone Arts Center · Colorado Springs, CO
Oct 21, 2026
7:15 PM
Vermont International Film Festival
Main Street Landing Black Box · Burlington, VT
Nov 3, 2026
9:00 AM
Windsor International Film Festival
OLG Pentastar - Capitol · Windsor, ON
Nov 6, 2026
6:20 PM
San Diego Asian Film Festival
UltraStar Cinemas Mission Valley · San Diego, CA
Nov 8, 2026
2:00 PM
Coronado Island Film Festival
Coronado Public Library · Coronado, California
Opens Nov 23
NCG Cinema Lansing
Lansing, MI
TBD
Dec 6, 2026
TBD
Sky Cinemas
Santa Fe, NM
TBD
→Previous screenings (20)
Oct 11, 2026
6:00 PM
Vancouver International Film Festival
Alliance Française Theatre · Vancouver, BC
Oct 9, 2026
5:30 PM
Vancouver International Film Festival
Lindsay Family Stage at Granville Island · Vancouver, BC
Oct 1, 2026
4:30 PM
Mosaic International South Asian Film Festival
The Living Arts Centre · Mississauga, ON
Sep 25, 2026
8:00 PM
International South Asian Film Festival
Landmark Cinemas Guilford · Surrey, British Columbia
Sep 19, 2026
1:00 PM
Global Peace Film Festival
Regal Winter Park Village · Winter Park, FL
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 directed and produced HBO's MY MOM JAYNE, about the life and legacy of her mother, Jayne Mansfield. (Critics Choice and Producers Guild Award)
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Mariska plays Olivia Benson on NBC's LAW & ORDER: SVU, where she also serves as a director and executive producer. (Emmy and Golden Globe Award).
In 2004, Mariska founded the Joyful Heart Foundation. Their “End the Backlog” campaign aims to eliminate the backlog of untested rape kits across America. Mariska produced I AM EVIDENCE, an HBO documentary on the topic. (Emmy Award)
Mariska also executive produced NUNS vs. THE VATICAN, about the victimization of Catholic nuns, and co-produced EMANUEL, about the Charleston church shooting, and MY BEAUTIFUL STUTTER, about a summer camp for young people who stutter.
Executive Producer
Trish Adlesic
Trish Adlesic is a two-time Academy Award–nominated, Emmy-winning, and Producers Guild of America Award–winning documentary filmmaker. She produced My Mom Jayne with Mariska Hargitay. The film had its world premiere at the Cannes Film Festival and its North American premiere at the Tribeca Festival.
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Trish produced and co-directed The ABCs of Book Banning with Sheila Nevins for Paramount+, earning an Academy Award nomination. She also directed and produced A Tree of Life: The Pittsburgh Synagogue Shooting for HBO.
She co-directed and co-produced I Am Evidence with Geeta Gandbhir and Mariska Hargitay for HBO. The film received the 2019 Emmy for Best Documentary at the News & Documentary Emmy Awards.
Her collaboration with Josh Fox and HBO on Gasland and Gasland II earned an Academy Award nomination and an Emmy Award.
She is a member of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, Producers Guild of America, and 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
Shizuka Asakawa
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
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 via Women Make Movies →Stay connected
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News & Press
What they're saying
“An inspiring story of resilience, determination and hope”
1 / 4
“An inspiring story of resilience, determination and hope”
“Unexpected waves of joy”
“takes care to portray, honestly and movingly, the joys and trials of being at the forefront of breaking barriers and cultural norms.”
“A vibrant, wholesome and beautifully shot documentary”
“An inspiring story of resilience, determination and hope”
“Unexpected waves of joy”
“takes care to portray, honestly and movingly, the joys and trials of being at the forefront of breaking barriers and cultural norms.”
“A vibrant, wholesome and beautifully shot documentary”
Latest news & interviews
Emmy Winner Habiba Nosheen Flexes With ‘The Gymnasts Of Fisherman Colony,’ Inspiring Film From EPs Mariska Hargitay, Trish Adlesic, Malala Yousafzai
Deadline
October 5, 2026
Malala Day 2026: The Gymnasts of Fisherman Colony - director Habiba Nosheen
Olympics.com
July 12, 2026
Tribeca Festival 2026: “The Gymnasts of Fisherman Colony” Shines a Light on Courage, Community, and Opportunity
New York Women in Film & Television
June 25, 2026
Cartwheels on the beach - The documentary is a treatise on grit, perseverance and statelessness
The News Pakistan
June 14, 2026
Tribeca Ones to Watch
Pure Nonfiction
June 4, 2026
Malala Joins Mariska Hargitay to Executive Produce the Tribeca-Bound Doc ‘The Gymnasts of Fisherman Colony’
Variety
May 19, 2026
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.