Documentary: discovering Arab street art

The Shubbak Festival, the UK’s largest festival of contemporary Arab culture, is currently taking place in London and often offers the chance to discover some great features, from cooking workshops to discussion groups and artistic performances.

Starting today, visitors to the festival’s website will be able to watch the documentary “It ain’t where you from”, by Iraqi director and dancer Philip J. Rachid, also known as Soul Trotter. The 30-minute film takes the audience from Beirut to Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, where, through interviews and monologues, they meet some of the dancers, rappers and artists who make up the Middle Eastern “street art” community.

 

A project in the long haul

The project was born little by little. Soul Trotter has been involved in the scene for many years, notably through the breakdance events he organizes in Dubai, and he never lets go of his camera. From then on, he has the raw material. But it was only after being commissioned by the festival, as well as the Arts Centre of New York University in Abu Dhabi, that the project began to take shape.

From a societal point of view, the film presents an interesting look at the Arab world’s approach to urban culture, between a passionate and inspired new generation, and elders who are still very attached to traditions. Thus, as we discover the different profiles, we perceive street art sometimes as a source of social pressure, and sometimes as an essential tool of expression of identity.

 

A documentary to see without delay on the platform of the Shubbak Festival! There is even a post-screening Q&A you can watch on YouTube!