SKATEISTAN
Skateistan: To Live And Skate Kabul / SS / Orlando von Einsiedel / 10′ / 2010 / Great Britain , Afganistan
29. 12. 2011, 20:00
In a country with innumerable problems, Skateistan represents an oasis where children can be children and build the kinds of cross-cultural relationships that Afghanistan needs for future stability.
Skateistan: To Live and Skate Kabul is a beautiful, verité style 16mm film about the lives of two young skateboarders from Afghanistan. Twelve-year-old Fazilla deals daily with the hardships of selling chewing gum on the street and the general discrimination Afghani girls face. However, when she is skateboarding, she forgets all her problems. Murza, a 16-year-old boy who has known nothing but a lifetime of war, cannot see the violent situation changing any time soon. But through participation in the Skateistan project, he has been able to give up working at a car wash and now has high hopes for both himself and his country’s future.
The Skateistan project is Afghanistan’s – and the world’s – first co-educational skateboarding school. The school engages growing numbers of urban and internally-displaced youth through skateboarding, and provides them with new opportunities in cross-cultural interaction, education and personal empowerment. In a country with innumerable problems, Skateistan represents an oasis where children can be children and where they can build the kinds of cross-cultural/class relationships that Afghanistan needs for future stability.
Intimate and challenging in its portrayal of the children’s stories and stunningly shot, Skateistan: To Live And Skate Kabul is an inspiring story from a country that is mostly in the news for all the wrong reasons
Best Cinematography LA Skate Film Festival. USA. 2010
Best Documentary LA Skate Film Festival. USA. 2010
Best Documentary Portable Film Festival. Australia. 2010
Best Editing Underwire Film Festival. UK. 2010
Best Cultural Film Sheffield Adventure Film Festival. UK. 2011
Winner Jury Special Prize Chamonix Adventure Film Festival
Finalist FujiFilm Shorts. UK. 2011
Finalist Rushes Film Festival. UK. 2011.
Vimeo Staff Picks. 2010
Sundance Film Festival Official Selection 2011
SXSW Film Festival Official Selection 2011
