Athlete’s dream to be first female Emirati Olympic triathlete captured in new film

Documentary can be seen in virtual cinema space and traces UAE citizen’s journey to be an Olympian

Hana Al Nabulsi has won numerous medals in her quest to qualify for the Olympics in the triathlon. Photo: Dana Itani

An American-Lebanese filmmaker has released a short documentary on an Emirati athlete in the metaverse cinema, or virtual space, to inspire women with authentic stories of grit and conviction.

Dubai-based director Dana Itani captures a powerful tale in a punchy, brief format of only nine minutes to catch people’s attention and she hopes to inspire young filmmakers to claim their space in the virtual world.

The Iron Woman, which focuses on Emirati athlete Hana Al Nabulsi focuses on her pursuit of becoming the first female UAE citizen to compete in the triathlon event in the Olympics and the relentless training behind her journey.

“These are impactful stories that need to be told,” Itani told The National about the first of nine documentaries she will make this year on incredible women in the Middle East and across the world.

“It will be about women in sports and other fields. When people see this, they should feel motivated to follow their own dreams.

“With the metaverse cinema, I’m able to showcase these stories internationally so anyone from anywhere in the world can watch the film in a fully immersive experience.

“I want viewers, and young women, to know there are no limits.”

Making sure an Olympic dream comes true

The film plots the challenges Al Nabulsi faces as she sets her sights on a place among 110 athletes to compete in the Paris 2024 Olympic triathlon.

She became the youngest Emirati athlete to complete Mexico’s 113km Ironman triathlon in 2021, despite suffering severe heat stroke before the race and running against a doctor’s orders.

The film brings to life her infectious enthusiasm and determination when she says she “literally crawled to the finish line”.

“I will be 28 when I want to represent the UAE in the 2024 Paris Olympics and I was often told 'no, no that is too old',” she told The National.

“But I’m doing what I always dreamt of and whether it is 2024 or 2028, I will make sure it happens.”

The audience gets a front row seat watching Al Nabulsi’s successful debut at the Dubai Women’s Triathlon in 2019 through her struggle to join the UAE Triathlon Federation so she can participate in qualifying races that will take her to the Olympics.

Her tenacity is on display in the film that shows how she rises above disappointment and finishes the race, despite being disqualified when an ankle chip that records the distance falls off after the swim segment in the Ras Al Khaimah Olympic triathlon last year.

“I want to be the best athlete the UAE has ever seen,” she said.

“I know I have the capability and mental strength. I have to avoid injuries, stay consistent, keep improving and pushing my limits.”

Pushing the boundaries

Al Nabulsi has pushed her body to extraordinary limits. She ran a 242km ultra-marathon at the age of 16.

The Olympic triathlon distance covers a 1.5km swim, 40km bike ride and 10km run.

Emirati women have represented their country in the Olympics in weightlifting, athletics and swimming.

To make the grade, AL Nabulsi is working constantly to cut her time, which had improved from 3 hours and 20 minutes more than a year ago to 2 hours and 46 minutes by October.

She wants to shake people out of their comfort zone with the film.

“Fear is the hurdle so cross it,” she said.

“I want to tell anyone who is watching to go and do what they want to be doing, whether it is sport or if they want to be a singer or actress.

“Stop with the fear and get out of the box you put yourself in.

“In my Instagram accounts, I have been so raw. I talk about any loss and not just about the wins.”

Itani’s endeavour is to peel off the gloss and record the struggle and pain in achieving success.

“There is a lot that happens in these races that people don’t know about,” she said.

“We often show female athletes only when it’s Women’s Day. Then we put together some action shots, put some music over it and have them say some motivational speeches.

“I want to get in to what they really go through.”

How to watch the short film

Itani shot, edited, produced and directed the documentary and chose to release it in the virtual world to have a greater control over her creation.

Audiences' short attention spans made her decide to stick to a concise nine minutes.

“I couldn’t find anyone to fund it so I did it myself,” she said.

“Hana and me are passionate about what we do but we do not have millions of followers.

“The next best to physical cinema is the metaverse.

“People need to get more accustomed to this because this is how we are going to be consuming media.”

The Iron Woman is currently free to view to reach a larger audience.

It's available on danatoday.com on a fastexverse virtual platform where viewers can sign in via Google.

Once viewers log in, they can create an avatar, walk into a cinema room that has a popcorn stand and film posters before they take a seat and watch.

“This gives filmmakers an opportunity to have a platform they can release their content, build their own community and be in control,” Itani said.

“It’s a really good way for creators to keep a database and understand who has watched the content.”

There are two ftNFT shops (NFT marketplace) in Dubai at the Mall of the Emirates and Dubai Mall China Town, where visitors can purchase digital items.