Sunday, February 21, 2016, 2:00 pm, $12 adv / $13 dos
US Premiere
In a region full of tension, artists in the Middle East have struggled for years to express themselves freely and to promote more liberal attitudes within their societies. During the Arab Spring, like many others of this new Arab generation, local artists had high hopes for the future and took part in the protests. Rappers, graffiti artists, poets and filmmakers rushed toward the freedom. However, after years of turmoil and instability, young Arabs now have to challenge both old and new problems, being torn between feelings of disillusion and a vague hope for a better future. “Yallah! Underground” follows some of today’s most important and progressive underground artists from Egypt, Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan and Israel through years of rapid change until today. If you are yearning to hear some good news and cultural signs of life from a region that is often portrayed in uniquely pessimistic terms, this confident and fresh film is just the thing. Dir Farid Eslam, 85 min, UK/2015
TICKET LINK: https://www.ticketfly.com/purchase/event/1076649