On Thursday, February 6th, the Bozeman Doc Series continues with the Montana premiere of the award-winning new documentary, Yalla Parkour.

Filmmaker Areeb Zuaiter was born in the mountainous city of Nablus, Palestine. Her parents found opportunities outside of Palestine and left when she was still an infant. Still, they visited every year. With those visits, she would watch her mother transform into what she’d call “her true self”, and her smile would come back to life. Folded in those visits, is one visit to Gaza. She was only four. It was her first encounter with the sea. The memory of her mother’s genuine smile by the seaside left a lasting impression on her.

Recently, nostalgia for her homeland resurfaces when she discovers a video of young men practicing parkour on Gaza’s sandy shores. Their joy starkly contrasts with distant explosions. Longing to reconnect with her past, Areeb reaches out to the parkour team and bonds with an athlete named Ahmed. Together, they navigate the remnants of Gaza, exploring places like a cemetery, a run-down mall, and the remains of an airport.

As their relationship deepens, Ahmed reveals the harsh realities of life in Gaza, transforming Areeb’s initial curiosity into a profound awareness of his struggles. Areeb grapples with guilt and conflict as she witnesses Ahmed’s desire to escape the confines of his homeland, understanding the emotional void such a departure would entail. Their journey becomes a quest to reclaim memories and explore identity, belonging, and the haunting legacy of a home left behind. Yalla Parkour offers a last glimpse of a pre-October 7th Gaza.

Doors open at 6:30pm. Tickets are available at the door or before the show online at www.bozemandocseries.org, where you can also buy Season Passes and 7-film punch cards, learn more about the series, and view trailers for upcoming films. The series will continue every other Thursday through April, 2024.