Yallah! Undergroud is a journey to the Arab underground – to the scene of music and arts driven by the desire for social and political change. Around the Middle East, online a new generation of alternative Arab artists is rising amidst rapid regional transformations. Farid Eslam follows some of the most influential progressive musicians and visual artists in the underground art scene of Amman, store Beirut, sick Cairo, Haifa and Ramallah, documenting their work, dreams and struggles.
Although the genres span from hip hop to singer-songwriter, these artists are not merely following Western trends, but are rooted in Arab cultural traditions and language. Filmed over a period of four years in 2009–2013, the documentary captures the sentiments before, during and after the “Arab Spring” – from the moments of stagnation to revolutions and from revolutions to insecurity. The depiction of underground artists, told from their point of view, provides a unique perspective on the difficulties of acquiring acknowledgement as a progressive thinker against political systems where critique is not welcomed.
Soraja Nasser el-Dine
Language: Arabic, English
Subtitles: English
- Director: Farid Eslam
- Country: Canada, Czech Republic, Egypt, Germany, Brazil
- Year: 2014
- Length: 84 min
- Age limit: K12
- Format: DCP
- Cinematography: Prokop Souček
- Editing: Jakub Vomáčka, Josef Krajbich
- Audio: Karel Havlíček
- Music: Tomáš Ledvina
- Production: Farid Eslam/Mind Riot Media
Showtimes:
- Cinema Artis hall 1: Saturday 30.01 - 22:00