projects OVERVIEW
launching on april 14!
“Shojaei’s fierce authenticity shines through her prose, bolstering the already compelling narrative…A riveting account showing that change can begin with a dream. —Kirkus Reviews
AZADI MEANS FREEDOM
BY MARYAM SHOJAEI
Young Adult Novel
Published by Seven Stories
April 14, 2026
On the eve of the World Cup, and with war in Iran, here is a story of a young woman activist taking on the government of Iran and the world's most powerful sports body, FIFA, to fight for women's and girls' rights in her country.
The sister of one of Iran's biggest soccer stars describes her battle against the stadium ban in a thrilling, inspiring story.
Maryam Shojaei's brother, Masoud, was captain of Iran's national team and player in three World Cup tournaments. But Maryam and her mother and sister never saw him play in Tehran's famous Azadi Stadium. For forty years no woman--not one of the over 40 million women and girls in that country--has been allowed in any stadium, except for those brave enough to sneak in disguised as men and run the risk of being arrested and imprisoned.
"Azadi" means freedom in Iran's Persian language.
Here is Maryam's story of taking on her own government and a global sports organization to fight for girls' and women's rights. Azadi Means Freedom is both a fascinating look into life in modern Iran for young women today, and also a personal story filled with intrigue and danger. Maryam travels the globe to battle the stadium ban, is detained and beaten, but her story is also covered in international news. With the support of activist friends and her beloved family--and the stories of other protesters like the Blue Girl and the White Scarves movement--she reaches the powerful halls of FIFA and the United Nations to plead the case for Iran’s women.
Here is an inspiring story for every activist, sports fan, soccer player, and fighter for women's rights around the world.
MARYAM SHOJAEI is an Iranian-Canadian civil rights activist and founder of the global #NoBan4Women campaign, which successfully challenged Iran’s decades-long ban on women entering football stadiums. In recognition of her leadership advancing women’s rights and social justice through sport, she received the prestigious ESPN Sports Humanitarian Award, among other international honors.
She holds a master’s degree in Peace Operations from George Mason University. Now based in Tehran, she continues her advocacy with a focus on protecting and advancing children’s rights.
maryam shojaei
THE LONG GAME
FEATURING SAMIRA ASGHARI
Documentary Film
Produced by 55 Liberty Productions
The Long Game is the story of an Afghan athlete fighting the Taliban with the power of sport. The protagonist, Samira Asghari, is a defiant Afghan basketball player turned refugee racing against time as she fights to secure the rights of remaining Afghan female athletes from the Taliban, who—in a stunning reversal of power—must now negotiate with her for their participation in the Paris Olympics. By broadcasting the courage of Afghan women trying to access sport as their fundamental right and also using sport as a tool to demand their human rights, we believe this film will show the world that it’s possible for girls and women who have lost almost everything to still fight back.
SAMIRA ASGHARI is an Afghan member of the International Olympic Committee (IOC). She was elected as the youngest member of the IOC in 2018 at the age of 24 for serving in numerous administrative and executive positions for Afghanistan sport entities including as a board member of the National Olympic Committee. Also an athlete, Samira was elected as captain of the Afghanistan Women’s National Basketball Team in 2019.
Samira earned a political science and international relations degree from Kateb University in Kabul, Afghanistan, and earned her master’s in Advanced Studies in Sport Administration and Technology from International Academy of Sport Science and Technology (AISTS) in Lausanne, Switzerland. She also completed the Human Rights Advocates Program (HRAP) at Columbia University in New York in 2024.
In 2021, she helped to evacuate at-risk athletes when the Taliban regained power. Samira advocates to restore the human rights of education and sport - not only for Afghan women and girls - but also for the health of the country.