Yalla! Underground. Courtesy of Difff
Yalla! Underground. Courtesy of Difff

Middle East music documentary Yallah! Underground screens at Diff



The cameras expose the heart of the Middle East's thriving, fractured alternative music scene in Yallah! Underground – an important documentary that had its regional premiere at the Dubai International Film Festival on Friday and gets a free outdoor screening on The Beach at JBR on Tuesday, December 15.

It’s a grand stage for such marginalised subject matter – but the film offers a suitably broad canvas, which takes the viewer on a four-year journey from Beirut to Cairo, Amman to Ramallah, through oppression, revolution and beyond.

Along the way, we meet musicians such as Lebanon's Zeid Hamdan, who was locked up by his government in 2011 after the old song, General Suleiman, was deemed defamatory to the then-president Michel Suleiman.

Shot guerrilla-style, the rough hand-held footage captures musicians in their home environments, jamming in front rooms and on balconies.

Unlikely stars emerge in Jordanian guitarist Mahmoud Radaideh, Egyptian hip-hop group Arabian Knightz and Palestinian visual artist Amer Shomali. Throughout, you can almost smell the conviction.

“Music is my passion,” says Egyptian metal-turned-jazz trailblazer Ousso Lotfy. “Without it I don’t think my life is worth ­anything.”

The word “underground” is as evocative in a musical context as it is divisive. The film’s director, Farid Eslam, was looking for artists “not of the mainstream, who express their environment”.

In short, original voicers fighting to say something new. One telling clip shows Jordan-based Palestinian rapper Ostaz Samm, aka Samm the Teacher, dividing the opinions of judges on Arabs Got Talent.

The “underground” is a scene bubbling under the surface – and rapping on regional television, Samm is a fish pulled up and gasping for air.

Culled from an estimated 800 hours of footage, Yallah! zeroes in on the stories of more than a dozen musicians battling prejudice, censorship and traditions to forge not just a fresh sound, but a way of life.

As a portrait of marginalised youth, and the birth of art in harsh surroundings, it’s fascinatingly insightful. However, fans have found it easy to criticise the film’s scope – why feature this artist, but not that one, they ask?

Eslam estimates he interviewed more than 70 musicians, fewer than 20 of whom appear in the finished film, a compromise that was both practical and personal.

“It was painful selecting who was in the film,” says the 38-year-old. “Some of my favourite bands – not just from the region, but ever – didn’t make it in.

“It was often about how much footage we had – but it also had to be based on personal taste. I don’t like techno – or metal.”

Eslam, whose previous credits include last year's political football documentary Istanbul United, hatched the idea for the film during a two-year stint working commercially in the region.

Living in Beirut, Cairo and Amman shattered many preconceptions that the director, who is of Afghan heritage, had while growing up in Europe.

“I got to meet a lot of the artists. I realised how biased my own idea of the region was,” he adds.

“As a second-generation immigrant kid in Germany, it was shocking that even my perception was biased – it was what most westerners think of the region, an image very related to violence, aggression and fanaticism.

“My main intention was to show a western audience a different image of contemporary young Arab culture. A lot of people just don’t know the difference between a Muslim and an Islamist.”

Filming began in 2009, and initially wrapped in late 2010.

“Then three weeks later, the Arab Spring started,” says Eslam. The script was torn up and shooting resumed in fits and starts. Crew on the ground contributed hours of gritty camera-phone footage of the Egyptian Revolution. More artists were interviewed and filming went on until 2013.

Once only implicitly political, regional unrest placed the film a wider cultural context. Since debuting in Switzerland in April, Yallah! Underground has gone on to screen at almost 20 festivals. It seems to have met the filmmaker's modest education goals – one thing most audiences ask for is a soundtrack. It's in the pipeline.

“Nearly all the feedback we’ve had is that people had no idea this kind of thing is happening – that ultimately, we all want the same things,” adds Eslam.

“With a documentary, there’s only a limited audience you can reach, but if you can change the perception of only a handful of people, it’s great. And if this is my little drop, it’s fantastic.”

Yallah! Underground screens on The Beach at JBR on Tuesday, December 15 at 7pm. Entry is free

rgarratt@thenational.ae

Joker: Folie a Deux

Starring: Joaquin Phoenix, Lady Gaga, Brendan Gleeson

Director: Todd Phillips 

Rating: 2/5

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Transmission: 7-speed automatic with 8-speed sports option 

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The specs

Engine: Dual 180kW and 300kW front and rear motors

Power: 480kW

Torque: 850Nm

Transmission: Single-speed automatic

Price: From Dh359,900 ($98,000)

On sale: Now

Tree of Hell

Starring: Raed Zeno, Hadi Awada, Dr Mohammad Abdalla

Director: Raed Zeno

Rating: 4/5

Key products and UAE prices

iPhone XS
With a 5.8-inch screen, it will be an advance version of the iPhone X. It will be dual sim and comes with better battery life, a faster processor and better camera. A new gold colour will be available.
Price: Dh4,229

iPhone XS Max
It is expected to be a grander version of the iPhone X with a 6.5-inch screen; an inch bigger than the screen of the iPhone 8 Plus.
Price: Dh4,649

iPhone XR
A low-cost version of the iPhone X with a 6.1-inch screen, it is expected to attract mass attention. According to industry experts, it is likely to have aluminium edges instead of stainless steel.
Price: Dh3,179

Apple Watch Series 4
More comprehensive health device with edge-to-edge displays that are more than 30 per cent bigger than displays on current models.

Other simple ideas for sushi rice dishes

Cheat’s nigiri 
This is easier to make than sushi rolls. With damp hands, form the cooled rice into small tablet shapes. Place slices of fresh, raw salmon, mackerel or trout (or smoked salmon) lightly touched with wasabi, then press, wasabi side-down, onto the rice. Serve with soy sauce and pickled ginger.

Easy omurice
This fusion dish combines Asian fried rice with a western omelette. To make, fry cooked and cooled sushi rice with chopped vegetables such as carrot and onion and lashings of sweet-tangy ketchup, then wrap in a soft egg omelette.

Deconstructed sushi salad platter 
This makes a great, fuss-free sharing meal. Arrange sushi rice on a platter or board, then fill the space with all your favourite sushi ingredients (edamame beans, cooked prawns or tuna, tempura veggies, pickled ginger and chilli tofu), with a dressing or dipping sauce on the side.

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The specs: 2018 Chevrolet Trailblazer

Price, base / as tested Dh99,000 / Dh132,000

Engine 3.6L V6

Transmission: Six-speed automatic

Power 275hp @ 6,000rpm

Torque 350Nm @ 3,700rpm

Fuel economy combined 12.2L / 100km

The biog

Full name: Aisha Abdulqader Saeed

Age: 34

Emirate: Dubai

Favourite quote: "No one has ever become poor by giving"

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Almnssa
Started: August 2020
Founder: Areej Selmi
Based: Gaza
Sectors: Internet, e-commerce
Investments: Grants/private funding
Washmen Profile

Date Started: May 2015

Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui

Based: Dubai, UAE

Sector: Laundry

Employees: 170

Funding: about $8m

Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures

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Engine: 3.0-litre 6-cyl turbo

Power: 435hp at 5,900rpm

Torque: 520Nm at 1,800-5,500rpm

Transmission: 9-speed auto

Price: from Dh498,542

On sale: now

COMPANY PROFILE

Company: Bidzi

● Started: 2024

● Founders: Akshay Dosaj and Asif Rashid

● Based: Dubai, UAE

● Industry: M&A

● Funding size: Bootstrapped

● No of employees: Nine

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
FIXTURES

All times UAE ( 4 GMT)

Saturday
Fiorentina v Torino (8pm)
Hellas Verona v Roma (10.45pm)

Sunday
Parma v Napoli (2.30pm)
Genoa v Crotone (5pm)
Sassuolo v Cagliari (8pm)
Juventus v Sampdoria (10.45pm)

Monday
AC Milan v Bologna (10.45om)

Playing September 30

Benevento v Inter Milan (8pm)
Udinese v Spezia (8pm)
Lazio v Atalanta (10.45pm)

11 cabbie-recommended restaurants and dishes to try in Abu Dhabi

Iqbal Restaurant behind Wendy’s on Hamdan Street for the chicken karahi (Dh14)

Pathemari in Navy Gate for prawn biryani (from Dh12 to Dh35)

Abu Al Nasar near Abu Dhabi Mall, for biryani (from Dh12 to Dh20)

Bonna Annee at Navy Gate for Ethiopian food (the Bonna Annee special costs Dh42 and comes with a mix of six house stews – key wet, minchet abesh, kekel, meser be sega, tibs fir fir and shiro).

Al Habasha in Tanker Mai for Ethiopian food (tibs, a hearty stew with meat, is a popular dish; here it costs Dh36.75 for lamb and beef versions)

Himalayan Restaurant in Mussaffa for Nepalese (the momos and chowmein noodles are best-selling items, and go for between Dh14 and Dh20)

Makalu in Mussaffa for Nepalese (get the chicken curry or chicken fry for Dh11)

Al Shaheen Cafeteria near Guardian Towers for a quick morning bite, especially the egg sandwich in paratha (Dh3.50)

Pinky Food Restaurant in Tanker Mai for tilapia

Tasty Zone for Nepalese-style noodles (Dh15)

Ibrahimi for Pakistani food (a quarter chicken tikka with roti costs Dh16)

Our legal consultant

Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais

Position: legal consultant with Al Rowaad Advocates and Legal Consultants.

The specs
Engine: Long-range single or dual motor with 200kW or 400kW battery
Power: 268bhp / 536bhp
Torque: 343Nm / 686Nm
Transmission: Single-speed automatic
Max touring range: 620km / 590km
Price: From Dh250,000 (estimated)
On sale: Later this year
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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