Storyville - 2008-2009 - Up for Debate - Team Qatar

Qatar is said to be the world's richest country, while competitive debating is said to be a training ground for future world leaders. So when the Qatari Emiress charged two recent Oxford graduates with creating the country's first national debate team and taking them to the world championships, the stakes were high. This documentary follows the journey of five ambitious teenagers as they are initiated into the cut-throat subculture of competitive high school debate. Training in London, Doha and New York, they learn more about the world as they hone their debating skills. The kids are charismatic and cultured, with strong views and immense curiosity. Only 20 per cent of Qatar's residents are Qatari, and the team reflects this - Tina is Iranian, Vartan is Syrian-Armenian, Fatima is Iraqi, Ayesha is from Pakistan and Talal is half Lebanese, half Qatari. Alex Just, their coach, was president of the Oxford Union and he is determined to prepare them for victory, despite the fact that they have only been debating for six months. Will the team overcome their inexperience and hold their own against the sarcastic English, meticulous Singaporeans and ferocious Australians, all with years of practice at reducing lesser teams to tears? How will they deal with America, what will they make of Team Israel, and are they worldly enough to triumph? At stake in their minds is the chance to demonstrate to the rest of the world their skills as modern, free-thinking Middle-Easterners. Quirky and endearing, engaging and informative, the film offers an entertaining glimspe into the rapidly growing global culture of the Arab world and its relation with the west.