IndieWire I Trailer First Look
“Per the official synopsis, Zuaiter’s “nostalgia for her homeland resurfaces when she sees a video of Gaza’s young men practicing parkour amid explosions. Reconnecting with Matar, one of the athletes in the video, Zuaiter embarks on a journey through Gaza’s devastated landscape, exploring both parkour sites and symbols of Palestinian spirit.”
Hammer to Nail I Most Anticipated Docs at DOC NYC 2024
“Director Areeb Zuaiter makes her feature debut with Yalla Parkour, a movie that begins with conversations from 2015. It was then that she started speaking, virtually, with the not-yet-20 Ahmed Matar, a parkour specialist living in Gaza…His fate offers hope, but Zuaiter reminds us, through word and image, of the vast despair for most everyone else.”
CBS News | DOC NYC documentary film festival showcases real life on screen
“In "Yalla Parkour," filmmaker Areeb Zuaiter takes a unique perspective among the ruins of Gaza, through the athleticism of parkour.”
IndieWire I 11 Films to See at New York’s Premier Documentary Fest
““Yalla Parkour” is never the least bit glib about the horrors at hand, but that only makes it all the more triumphantly bittersweet to watch Ahmed and his friends reach for a better life by climbing the rubble around them.”
POV Magazine I DOC NYC Heats Up with Oscar Contenders and World Premieres
“This personal film by Areeb Zuaiter explores the director’s connection to Gaza following the death of her Palestinian mother. Zuaiter finds her subject in a young man who insists on emphasizing the presence of the Palestinian people by traversing the ruins and documenting the endurance of Palestinians—even if it means a singular being making a viral video by running, leading, and freestyling on whatever remains.”
Filmmaker Magazine I 18 Recommended Titles at 2024’s DOC NYC
“World premiering at DOC NYC is Palestinian filmmaker Areeb Zuaiter’s feature debut, which examines her own relationship to Gaza as well as the artistic resistance demonstrated by its civilians in the face of violent oppression.”
INTERVIEW: The New Arab | Areeb Zuaiter on the making of Yalla Parkour
“The New Arab Meets: Palestinian director Areeb Zuaiter to discuss 'Yalla Parkour', a powerful exploration of Gaza, memory, and the search for freedom.”
ESSAY: Talkhouse | Life in My Hands, Death Before My Eyes
“Palestinian director Areeb Zuaiter on Gaza, her new documentary Yalla Parkour, which premieres at DOC NYC tomorrow, and what is yet to come.”
DOC NYC Newsletter | Yalla Parkour featured
“Filmmaker Magazine highlights DOC NYC films including Under A Blue Sun, Yalla Parkour, and other acclaimed titles from the 2024 lineup.”
INTERVIEW: Filmmaker Magazine | Areeb Zuaiter on Her Gaza-Set DOC NYC World Premiere Yalla Parkour
“We need to keep working, otherwise our voices will be buried and unheard.”
REVIEW: Asian Movie Pulse | Yalla Parkour (2024) by Areeb Zuaiter
““Yalla Parkour” is an impressive and quite moving documentary about human perseverance despite conflict. Areeb Zuaiter combines two narratives into one about identity, home and regaining a fundamental human connection.”
REVIEW: JoySauce | ‘Yalla Parkour’ Turns a Fad Into a Cry for Palestinian Freedom
“A time capsule of Gaza leading up to October 2023, Yalla Parkour is filmmaker Areeb Zuaiter's attempt to reconnect with her Palestinian roots through a highly unexpected source: DIY parkour videos emanating from the strip.”
INTERVIEW: Filmmaker Magazine | Areeb Zuaiter on Her Gaza-Set DOC NYC World Premiere Yalla Parkour
“We need to keep working, otherwise our voices will be buried and unheard.”
IndieWire | DOC NYC 2024 Awards: ‘Yalla Parkour,’ ‘Stone Mountain,’ and More Among Winners
“Among eight international features, Areeb Zuaiter’s feature debut “Yalla Parkour” was selected as the winner. “Yalla Parkour” had its world premiere at the festival, and centers on young parkour athletes in Gaza who practice the sport on a “conflict-scarred” landscape.”
REVIEW: The Movie Buff | ‘Yalla Parkour’: An Intimate Juxtaposition of a Gravity-Defying Sport and a War-Torn Land
“Whether one views “Yalla Parkour” as a tribute to Gaza’s indomitable spirit or a meditation on the weight of diaspora, it’s hard to deny the film’s emotional power. It’s a film about movement—physical, emotional, and political—in a place where movement is often impossible. Zuaiter and the parkour team have given us a reminder that there’s something undeniably human about the desire to leap, to soar, and to defy forces that might try to stifle us. And such movement, no matter how small, is already a victory in and of itself.”