Shaking up the home of classical Arabic music, an upstart Egyptian dance-music style combines punk spirit with hip hop attitude, set against a furious cascade of drums, bass, and electronic vocals.
Counterculture Pioneers is a new series that celebrates the people from around the world who break the mold of the society they’ve always known, to explore and create a new community through music, arts, and sports. These trailblazers often risk their own safety, comfort, and security to live as their authentic selves, doing and creating what they love. This first selection of films focuses on a handful of Middle Eastern pioneers who've pushed the envelope in social justice and personal identity through skateboarding, thrash metal, hip hop, and more.
Leadership support for
BAM’s strategic initiatives provided by:
Leadership support for
BAM Access Programs provided by
the Jerome L. Greene Foundation
Leadership support for
BAM programming provided by:
Leadership support for
BAM’s strategic initiatives provided by:
Leadership support for
BAM Film provided by
The Thompson Family Foundation
Major support for programs in
the Lepercq Cinema is provided by
The Lepercq Charitable Foundation
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Film
Gaza Surf Club
Feb 21—Feb 25, 2025
Gaza Surf Club
Feb 21—Feb 25, 2025Against a background of occupation and joblessness, a small handful of Palestinians experience a slice of freedom riding one of a few dozen surfboards smuggled into the territory in recent decades.
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Film
Better
Feb 21—Feb 23, 2025
Better
Feb 21—Feb 23, 2025The first feature film from Moroccan director Kamal Ourahou illuminates the career of Nassim Lachhab, considered the first Moroccan and African professional skateboarder in history.
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Film
Sirens
Feb 23—Feb 25, 2025
Sirens
Feb 23—Feb 25, 2025Sirens intimately chronicles the lives and music of a young all-female metal band wrestling with friendship, sexuality, destruction, and burgeoning fame against the backdrop of the Lebanese revolution.
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Film
No One Knows About Persian Cats
Feb 22—Feb 26, 2025
No One Knows About Persian Cats
Feb 22—Feb 26, 2025Negar Shaghaghi and Ashkan Koshanejad play themselves in a lightly fictionalized almost-documentary about young underground rock musicians in Iran planning their escape with the help of a savvy fixer.
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Film
Slingshot Hip Hop
Feb 22—Feb 24, 2025
Slingshot Hip Hop
Feb 22—Feb 24, 2025Slingshot Hip Hop documents the birth of the hip hop scene in Palestine, braiding together the stories of young artists living under occupation inspired to speak out by voices like 2Pac and Chuck D.