about the film

Slingshot Hip Hop is the first feature-length documentary about the Palestinian hip hop movement. At the cutting edge of this emerging Middle Eastern youth culture, it is a fresh, complex and energizing window into contemporary life in Palestine and Israel, and into one of the many identities that Arabs are exploring today. The film braids together the stories of young Palestinians living in Israel, Gaza, and the West Bank as they discover Hip Hop and employ it as a tool to surmount divisions imposed by occupation and poverty. From internal checkpoints and separation walls to gender norms and generational differences, this is the story of young people crossing the
borders that separate them. On the one hand, Slingshot Hip Hop penetrates as it shows how the destruction of Palestinian homes, daily humiliation, violence and military attacks drain young Palestinians’ energies. On the other hand, it speaks of a politics of resistance and protest without violence, and once again brings home the question -“Who’s the Terrorist?”- as it follows the short history of Palestinian rap and its well-known pioneers.

about the director

Born in Michigan, Jackie Reem Salloum is a New York-based artist and filmmaker. Drawing on her Palestinian and Syrian roots, her pop-infused work focuses on challenging the stereotypes of Arabs in the media. She has directed several shorts exploring this issue, including Planet of the Arabs (!f 2005). After receiving her MFA from NYU, Salloum began directing her first feature length documentary Slingshot Hip Hop (2008). Five years in the making, Salloum’s work is also the basis of a youth education program on Palestine/Israel, and she frequently speaks at universities and conferences internationally.

festivals

• 2008 Sundance Film Festival