Sapir

<p><img alt="Laurel icon denoting the film is in competition for a Jury Prize." border="0" src="https://data.ajff.org/sites/default/files/2024-12/logo_2025%20Jury%20Award%20Nominee_02.png" style="width:20%; max-width:20%; margin-left:10px; float:right;" />Breaking barriers as the first transgender referee in professional football, a Haifa woman inspires with her unwavering resolve to live authentically while navigating personal and professional challenges. First a soccer player, Sapir Berman quickly ascended to officiate in Israel’s Premier League, excelling for years before bravely coming out as a woman. Amid scrutiny from fans, colleagues, and the media, she balances the physical, emotional, and psychological demands of refereeing top-tier football with the taxing process of gender reassignment surgery and hormone therapy. Offering intimate access to her life on and off the pitch, this poignant glimpse celebrates her resilience, defiance of conventions, and role as a beacon of equity and inclusion in global sports.