DOCUMENTARY SHOWCASE SCORES WITH "LIFE WITHOUT BASKETBALL," A MUSLIM WOMAN'S FIGHT FOR HER FAITH AND HER CAREER AS A PROFESSIONAL ATHLETE

LOS ANGELES, April 19, 2023 /PRNewswire/ -- Scientology Network's DOCUMENTARY SHOWCASE, the weekly series providing a platform for independent filmmakers to air films on important social, cultural and environmental issues, presents the award-winning documentary Life Without Basketball on April 21, 2023.

DOCUMENTARY SHOWCASE airs Fridays at 8 p.m. ET/PT on Scientology Network.

Life Without Basketball follows the struggles of female, Muslim American basketball star Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir as she fights to overturn a ruling that banned her from wearing a hijab on the court and ended her meteoric athletic career.

Filmmakers Tim O'Donnell and Jon Mercer expose a controversy that crosses the worlds of sport, religion and gender in this poignant feature-length documentary. Bilqis Abdul-Qaadir's journey goes from breaking records on the basketball court to breaking down barriers for other female athletes on the international stage. Shot over a period of four years, this intimate portrayal of her extraordinary talent, family life and faith are juxtaposed against an ambiguous ruling by women's basketball's international governing body, banning the expression of her culture and identity. And what ensues becomes the biggest, and most inspiring, challenge of her life.

Life Without Basketball was an Official Selection at numerous film festivals including the 2019 Human Rights Watch Film Festival.

ABOUT TIM O'DONNELL & JON MERCER
Tim O'Donnell is an Emmy^® award-nominated and award-winning documentary filmmaker whose work has been featured on ESPN, NBC and PBS. Tim's film, For the Love of Dogs, was awarded the Audience Award at the Independent Film Festival of Boston and won Jury Prizes at numerous other film festivals. 

Jon Mercer is a director, editor, compositor and colorist whose commercial work has been broadcast nationally. His film work has screened internationally and has been featured on PBS. His editing work on the documentary Calling My Children helped it garner 12 festival wins and a Cine Golden Eagle Award.

ABOUT DOCUMENTARY SHOWCASE
Fundamental to Scientology is a humanitarian mission that extends to some 200 nations with programs for human rights, human decency, literacy, morality, drug prevention and disaster relief. For this reason, the Scientology Network provides a platform for independent filmmakers who embrace a vision of building a better world.

DOCUMENTARY SHOWCASE debuts films weekly from award-winning independent filmmakers whose goal is to improve society by raising awareness of social, cultural and environmental issues.
For more information, visit scientology.tv/docs.

The Scientology Network debuted on March 12, 2018. Since launching, the Scientology Network has been viewed in over 240 countries and territories worldwide in 17 languages. Satisfying the curiosity of people about Scientology, the network takes viewers across six continents, spotlighting the everyday lives of Scientologists, showing the Church as a global organization, and presenting its social betterment programs that have touched the lives of millions worldwide. The network also showcases documentaries by independent filmmakers who represent a cross-section of cultures and faiths, but share a common purpose of uplifting communities. 

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SOURCE Church of Scientology International