Release CalendarTop 250 MoviesMost Popular MoviesBrowse Movies by GenreTop Box OfficeShowtimes & TicketsMovie NewsIndia Movie Spotlight
    What's on TV & StreamingTop 250 TV ShowsMost Popular TV ShowsBrowse TV Shows by GenreTV News
    What to WatchLatest TrailersIMDb OriginalsIMDb PicksIMDb SpotlightIMDb Podcasts
    OscarsCannes Film FestivalStar WarsAsian Pacific American Heritage MonthSummer Watch GuideSTARmeter AwardsAwards CentralFestival CentralAll Events
    Born TodayMost Popular CelebsCelebrity News
    Help CenterContributor ZonePolls
For Industry Professionals
  • Language
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Watchlist
Sign In
  • Fully supported
  • English (United States)
    Partially supported
  • Français (Canada)
  • Français (France)
  • Deutsch (Deutschland)
  • हिंदी (भारत)
  • Italiano (Italia)
  • Português (Brasil)
  • Español (España)
  • Español (México)
Use app
  • Cast & crew
  • User reviews
IMDbPro

Men in the Arena

  • 2017
  • 1h 25m
IMDb RATING
7.7/10
59
YOUR RATING
Men in the Arena (2017)
NewsDocumentarySportWar

Two Somali soccer stars chase impossible dreams in this human rights story born out of civil war and terror.Two Somali soccer stars chase impossible dreams in this human rights story born out of civil war and terror.Two Somali soccer stars chase impossible dreams in this human rights story born out of civil war and terror.

  • Director
    • J.R. Biersmith
  • Writers
    • Brian Bellinkoff
    • J.R. Biersmith
  • Stars
    • Barkhad Abdi
    • Mark Bowden
    • Sa'ad Hussein
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • IMDb RATING
    7.7/10
    59
    YOUR RATING
    • Director
      • J.R. Biersmith
    • Writers
      • Brian Bellinkoff
      • J.R. Biersmith
    • Stars
      • Barkhad Abdi
      • Mark Bowden
      • Sa'ad Hussein
    • 3User reviews
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • See production info at IMDbPro
  • Photos3

    View Poster
    View Poster
    View Poster

    Top cast6

    Edit
    Barkhad Abdi
    Barkhad Abdi
    • Self
    Mark Bowden
    Mark Bowden
    • Self
    Sa'ad Hussein
    • Self
    Saadiq Mohammed
    • Self
    Francisco Molina
    • Self
    Oscar Pareja
    • Self
    • Director
      • J.R. Biersmith
    • Writers
      • Brian Bellinkoff
      • J.R. Biersmith
    • All cast & crew
    • Production, box office & more at IMDbPro

    More like this

    Generation Zapped
    6.7
    Generation Zapped
    Diamond Hands: The Legend of WallStreetBets
    4.7
    Diamond Hands: The Legend of WallStreetBets
    Motherland
    7.1
    Motherland
    American Circumcision
    7.2
    American Circumcision
    Diga Meu Nome
    4.6
    Diga Meu Nome
    The Bill Murray Experience
    4.6
    The Bill Murray Experience
    The Rubber-Keyed Wonder
    7.5
    The Rubber-Keyed Wonder
    The Dig
    6.4
    The Dig
    Halfway
    6.3
    Halfway
    Coby
    6.3
    Coby
    It's Only Life After All
    7.6
    It's Only Life After All
    Hate to Love: Nickelback
    6.9
    Hate to Love: Nickelback

    Storyline

    Edit

    Did you know

    Edit
    • Quotes

      Mark Bowden: It's the most hopeful story I've seen come out of Somalia in 25 years.

    • Soundtracks
      Saylac
      Written by Samatar Hasan & Pat Jabbar

      Performed by Samatar & The Kasbah Rockers feat. Bill Laswell

      Courtesy of Barraka El Farnatshi Prod.

    User reviews3

    Featured review
    10/10

    Man in the Arena is about to Somalian National team soccer players who purse their dreams and they are driven to make a great impact for their country.

    Man in the Arena is a sensational film that depicts reality of what some people go through. It shows how dreams can ultimately become reality with hard work and dedication. No matter how bad things may look at this moment, just think there are other people who are going through the exact same or worse struggles and they are continuing to make their life better even through the most difficult of times. This film depicts just that and some important life lessons can be taken away if you have an open mind. Saadiq didn't have fancy cars, wasn't rich, but he was content with himself. That's what got Saadiq and his friend Sa'ad through the toughest of times when things were not going well. Finally, this film does a fantastic job in showing the past has gone and left it's the mark. Now it is time for us to build the present and make a great impact that will forever be remembered.
    • abdirizak-46318
    • Jul 16, 2017
    • Permalink

    Top picks

    Sign in to rate and Watchlist for personalized recommendations
    Sign in

    Details

    Edit
    • Release date
      • April 11, 2017 (United States)
    • Countries of origin
      • United States
      • Djibouti
      • Kenya
      • Somalia
    • Official sites
      • Official Facebook
      • Official site
    • Language
      • English
    • Filming locations
      • Mogadishu, Somalia
    • Production company
      • 2728 Pictures
    • See more company credits at IMDbPro

    Box office

    Edit
    • Budget
      • $100,000 (estimated)
    See detailed box office info on IMDbPro

    Tech specs

    Edit
    • Runtime
      1 hour 25 minutes
    • Color
      • Color
    • Aspect ratio
      • 16:9 HD

    Related news

    Contribute to this page

    Suggest an edit or add missing content
    Men in the Arena (2017)
    Top Gap
    By what name was Men in the Arena (2017) officially released in Canada in English?
    Answer
    • See more gaps
    • Learn more about contributing
    Edit page

    More to explore

    Recently viewed

    Please enable browser cookies to use this feature. Learn more.
    Get the IMDb app
    Sign in for more accessSign in for more access
    Follow IMDb on social
    Get the IMDb app
    For Android and iOS
    Get the IMDb app
    • Help
    • Site Index
    • IMDbPro
    • Box Office Mojo
    • License IMDb Data
    • Press Room
    • Advertising
    • Jobs
    • Conditions of Use
    • Privacy Policy
    • Your Ads Privacy Choices
    IMDb, an Amazon company

    © 1990-2025 by IMDb.com, Inc.