THE ARTS CENTER

Middle East Premiere

It Ain’t Where You From – A film by Philip Rachid

Co-commissioned by The Arts Center and Shubbak Festival

Tuesday, Sep 7 @ 8pm

Past Event

Intimate stories of the Gulf’s emerging Hip-Hop scene

Dubai based filmmaker Philip Rachid presents an empowering cultural exploration of the Middle East’s underground Hip-Hop scene. Dance, spoken word, music, graphics, and street art collide to create this powerful film portrait of a thriving scene. You have to create your own path, that’s what you do when you’ve grown up without a family or a homeland, with a different vibe, and with a different tribe.

It Ain’t Where You From combines cutting-edge street fashion, a pulsating soundtrack, and rich vibrant colors to capture the melting pot that is the Gulf’s cities. Featuring the personal journeys that individual artist’s take, discover their struggles as they find their way; See this dynamic view on what it takes to follow your passion and how Hip-Hop gives voice to a third culture generation.

Discover more about the show here.

Watch the trailer

It Ain’t Where You From by director and filmmaker, Philip Rachid, is an offshoot of The Main Circle: 7.83, an enthralling and empowering transmedia documentary performance that explores the perception of B-Boy culture across Middle Eastern cultures and traditions, commissioned by The Arts Center.

Participating artists include: Ihab Darwish (composer), Tac (rapper), BBoy Jazzy Zilla, BBoy Spiky, DustyDust (street artist), BGirl Lana, BBoy Feraz, Maajed Ahmed (graffiti artist), BBoy Amer, Frezidante (DJ), BBoy Nabil ElKhayer, Kriman (BBoy/artist), Ynot (artist) and Mohamed Araki (music composer).

Biography

Philip Rachid (Soultrotter)

Iraqi Kurdish filmmaker Philip Jamal Rachid was born in Sofia, Bulgaria and raised in The Netherlands. He now resides in Dubai, a hotspot for culture, art and innovation. He is a self taught writer, director, producer and consultant.
His first international recognition as a filmmaker came when he shot a short film on a Flip cam in Kurdistan, 2011. The film was screened at the Duhok International Film Festival and was nominated in San Diego Kurdish Youth Film festival. Since then, Rachid has gone on to receive various nominations and has won over 15 international film awards.
Today he remains committed to his craft and is continuously creating work that focuses on humanitarian themes.
Wishing to share his passion for film with others, he also consults and shares his knowledge with new generation peers and through workshops and lectures.