MENA Creative Collective X Friendly Strangers Studios X Balady Film Club presents a three night run (12/4 - 12/6) of "Yalla Parkour" by Areeb Zuaiter at the The New School (University Center UL 104).

Join us at 7PM on December 4th for a screening of Yalla Parkour, accompanied by two shorts and a moderated discussion.

All proceeds are going to the families within the Parkour Community in Gaza.

AMPAS (Academy) Members Welcome!

Click here for: 12/5 Screening | 12/6 Screening

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Yalla Parkour by Areeb Zuaiter

In her relentless pursuit of a memory that reinforces her sense of belonging, Areeb crosses paths with Ahmed, a parkour athlete in Gaza, sparking a journey where conflicting aspirations intersect. Nostalgia meets with ambition, and the weight of a confined past meets with an unpredictable future.

Shadows by Rand Beiruty

At an over crowded airport, Ahlam, a 14-year old runaway mother, fights the lurking shadows that attempt to steal the only dream that will set her free.

Aicha by Sanaa El Alaoui

A 17-year-old girl grapples with her emotionally distant mother as her life takes a tragic turn. In an effort to confront her grief and the fractured bond with her daughter, the mother participates in a mystic ceremony.

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Special discussion moderator TBD

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Filmmaker Areeb Zuaiter was born in the mountainous city of Nablus, Palestine. Her parents found opportunities outside of Palestine and left when she was still an infant. Still, they visited every year. With those visits, she would watch her mother transform into what she’d call “her true self”, and her smile would come back to life. Folded in those visits, is one visit to Gaza. She was only four. It was her first encounter with the sea. The memory of her mother's genuine smile by the seaside left a lasting impression on her.

Recently, nostalgia for her homeland resurfaces when she discovers a video of young men practicing parkour on Gaza's sandy shores. Their joy starkly contrasts with distant explosions. Longing to reconnect with her past, Areeb reaches out to the parkour team and bonds with an athlete named Ahmed. Together, they navigate the remnants of Gaza, exploring places like a cemetery, a run-down mall, and the remains of an airport.

As their relationship deepens, Ahmed reveals the harsh realities of life in Gaza, transforming Areeb's initial curiosity into a profound awareness of his struggles. Areeb grapples with guilt and conflict as she witnesses Ahmed’s desire to escape the confines of his homeland, understanding the emotional void such a departure would entail. Their journey becomes a quest to reclaim memories and explore identity, belonging, and the haunting legacy of a home left behind. Yalla Parkour offers a last glimpse of a pre-October 7th Gaza.

Yalla Parkour 12/4 @ The New School