Black Hawk Down author Mark Bowden, Distinguished Writer in Residence at the University of Delaware, will participate on a panel with documentary filmmakers J.R. Biersmith and Brian Bellinkoff following the screening of their film Men in the Arena at 7 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 3, in 130 Sharp Laboratory.

The documentary is about two Somali men, Saadiq and Sa'ad, who play on the national soccer team but face constant dangers not only from two decades of war but especially from the terrorist group Al-Shabab.

Biersmith and Bellinkoff traveled to Mogadishu in 2013, and have spent three years making this documentary. Bowden is author of the book, later made into a film, about American soldiers fighting in Mogadishua, Somalia, when two helicopters were shot down by militia.

The panel discussion will follow the screening. For the film’s trailer, click here.

The screening and panel discussion, which are free and open to the public, are sponsored by the departments of English, Communication and Political Science and International Relations and by the Division of Student Life's Student Services for Athletes.