Directed by Khaula Malik
Edited by Peter Wagner
Festivals: DC/DOX
Following Samu Qureshi, a devoted Washington Commanders superfan who has spent more than 50 years building the country’s largest private collection of team memorabilia, THE CUSTODIAN traces one man’s effort to secure a future for his unofficial museum. Now in his 60s and living in St. Louis, Samu is running out of time — and space.
As the team reckons with its racist legacy and redefines its identity, Samu sees a final opportunity to preserve the collection he has devoted his life to building. But preserving the past proves complicated. Between giving impromptu tours, writing to team ownership, and facing his wife’s pleas to declutter, Samu is forced to confront the contradictions in the legacy he holds dear.
THE CUSTODIAN is an intimate, character-driven exploration of nostalgia, fandom, and the politics of what we choose to hold onto.