THE DEFENDERS

Synopsis

When talented Bahrain refugee footballer Hakeem al-Araibi steps off the plane in Thailand to begin his honeymoon he finds himself surrounded by police with an Interpol arrest order accusing him of terrorist activity. What unfolds is the gripping true story of an heroic whistle-blower who, after speaking out about his own torture, sets off a revenge plot involving three countries, two royal families and the world's most powerful sporting body, FIFA. As Hakeem awaits extradition back to Bahrain where he will likely be killed, a rag-tag group of campaigners led by a retired Australian football captain turned television pundit, play out a nail-biting thriller, racing against the clock to save Hakeem’s life and the very soul of football itself.

Credits

Awards

Festivals

Film Details

Biography

Matthew Bate is a multi-award winning writer, director and producer. His 2011 feature SHUT UP LITTLE MAN! premiered in competition at the Sundance Film festival before screening theatrically across the U.S and being bought by Netflix. His follow up feature SAM KLEMKE'S TIME MACHINE premiered at the 2015 Sundance New Frontiers Program, winning Doc Aviv's Artistic Spirit Award and an AWGIE for best screenplay. Mathew’s short films have won the Dendy Award and Melbourne Film Festival’s Best Documentary Awards. His Virtual Reality work SUMMATION OF FORCE, made with Magnum Photographer Trent Parke, was selected for Sundance’s New Frontier Program and won the inaugural VR Award at the ‘Imagine Film Festival’ Amsterdam. In 2021 he co produced the Netflix Original documentary THE DREAMLIFE OF GEORGIE STONE, and was co-creator, co-writer and producer on two seasons of the comedy TV Series AFTERTASTE, starring Rachel Griffiths and Erik Thomson. Matthew is a co-founder of the South Australian film company Closer Productions.