Nach dem Spiel

Directed by AYSUN BADEMSOY

Co-presented with the Goethe-Institut Boston

Free admission

DIRECTOR PRESENT

Doc. / 60 min. / 1997 / with English subtitles

Q&A following film screening

SYNOPSIS

In this documentary, Aysun Bademsoy portrays five young Turkish women from Berlin Kreuzberg who were previously members of the successful Turkish women's soccer team “BSC-Ağrıspor.” Until recently, the friends had high hopes for an independent future based on their sporting success. But now the season is coming to an end and the five young women, all around 20 years old, are going to stop playing soccer. They don't know exactly what the future holds for them. Apprenticeships are rare, and without money, it is impossible to achieve independence from their strict parents. But for now, they are enjoying the Berlin summer together one last time, roaming the streets, checking out boys, going to parties, and “hanging out.” 

In her documentary Girls On The Pitch (Mädchen am Ball, 1995), director Aysun Bademsoy followed five young Turkish girls from Berlin-Kreuzberg, who belonged to the successful Turkish football team “BSC Ağrıspor”. After the Game (Nach dem Spiel, 1997) picks up two years later.

Spanning nearly 30 years, the project began with Girls on the Pitch (Mädchen am Ball, 1995), capturing the youthful defiance and athletic joy of Turkish-German girls carving out space in a male-dominated sport. After the Game (In Nach dem Spiel, 1997) and In the Game (Ich gehe jetzt rein, 2008)—Bademsoy tracked the players' transition into adulthood, documenting how the liberating "game" of their youth gave way to the heavy pressures of family tradition, career hurdles, and the persistent question of belonging in Germany.

In the last film of the series, Game Changers (Spielerinnen, 2024), the focus expands to include the daughters of the original players. Now in their late 40s, the original teammates reflect on their past while watching a new generation navigate identity in a digital, modern age. By following these women for three decades, Bademsoy transforms a simple sports story into a profound generational saga about the evolving immigrant experience and the enduring power of female agency. The film received the Best Documentary Audience Award at Boston Turkish Festival’s 19th Annual Documentary and Short Film Competition in 2025.