YALLA PARKOUR

After the death of her mother, filmmaker Areeb Zuaiter is drawn back toward Gaza, the homeland she left behind as a child. Her search for connection begins when she discovers videos of young men practicing parkour amid the ruins and seashores of Gaza. Reaching out to Ahmad Matar, one of the athletes, she embarks on a deeply personal journey through memory, loss, and belonging. As Ahmad dreams of escaping the confinement of Gaza while Areeb longs to reconnect with it, their intersecting paths reveal the emotional complexities of exile, identity, and freedom. Blending breathtaking parkour imagery with an intimate exploration of Palestinian life, Yalla Parkour is a powerful portrait of resilience, hope, and the enduring search for home.

THE FILMMAKER

Areeb Zuaiter is a multinational filmmaker based in Washington, D.C. Her work focuses on art, identity, and social issues. She holds an MA in Film and Video from American University. Zuaiter’s work has been nominated at film festivals around the world. Zuaiter previously worked with the Associated Press and as a Goldman Sachs Film and Video Fellow at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. Zuaiter led the Regional Training Department at the Royal Film Commission - Jordan, and taught at several universities in Washington, DC. In addition to working on her films, Zuaiter heads the programming department at the Amman International Film Festival (AIFF). Yalla Parkour is her debut feature film.

AWARDS AND FESTIVALS

Grand Jury Prize (International Competition) - DOC NYC, US
Berlin International Film Festival, Germany
Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival, Canada
Visions du Réel International Documentary Film Festival, Switzerland