Skateistan: To Live and Skate Kabul

NEW DOCS

In 2007, Australians Oliver Percovich and Sharna Nolan, traveled to Kabul with their skateboards and began teaching Afghani kids their beloved sport. Soon they opened Skateistan, a co-educational skateboard school, as a way of bridging social and economic differences among the youth of war-torn Afghanistan. Immensely successful, the organization has provided a refuge for many kids from the desolation and violence around them. A relatively new sport to the area, skateboarding elicits skepticism in some elders, especially when girls are involved. But the youth of Kabul are hooked on its charms. If it weren’t for the bleak urban landscape, the teenagers in this documentary could be from anywhere in the world, a testament to the boundless possibilities of youth culture.  RM

Director

Orlando von Einsiedel

Producer

Louis Figgis

Editor

Peta Ridley

Cinematographer

Franklin Dow

Release Year

2010

Festival Year

2011

Country

United Kingdom, Afghanistan

Run Time

9 minutes