FROM PALESTINE and UNITED STATES

WHAT IT’S ABOUT: Sami and Mohammad are two young men who had lived their whole lives in the Palestinian territories occupied by Israel, under a constant barrage of police violence. Checkpoints, walls, lack of opportunities, and limited resources are just some of the daily realities that the men are facing. But that doesn’t stop the two from widening their creative potential and passing their skills on to the future generations of Palestinians, one using the power of parkour, the other—the lucidity of photography. The film, made up of interviews with Mohammad and Sami, as well as footage from their creative and educational pursuits, covers a year in the life under occupation, where routine and oppression are a tight tangle, and the life of a creative individual and educator is not as safe as one would think.

WHO MADE IT: For Michael Rowley, who directed, filmed, and edited the film, while also serving as one of its producers, “Hurdle” is the first film, although he is no rookie in the industry. He has been working in commercial filmmaking for the last decade, collaborating with NGOs, human rights organizations, and artists, which led to a natural resolution in the form of this debut. The other producers include writer Remoy Philip, who co-founded Theo media with Rowley, as well as the social entrepreneur and filmmaker Andrew Brown. They financed the film through family, friends, and crowdfunding. The film features an array of Palestinians, both in Occupied East Jerusalem and Occupied West Bank, with Mohammad and Sami at the forefront. Sami Al Batsh is a parkour performer and part of the “Jerusalem Parkour” collective, who leads a group of youngsters to challenge their bodies, and sometimes, it seems, the laws of physics. Mohammad Al-Azza is a photographer and filmmaker who also teaches kids at the Aida refugee camp to use cameras with which they can document the reality around them, as well as escape it through art.

WHY DO WE CARE: There is nothing new about the Israeli occupation of Palestine, yet every film that comes out of the area can shed fresh light on the existing problem. One can only hope that such accounts, pure and simple, will do away with the apartheid, like drops of water hollowing out a stone. “Hurdle” is a rejuvenating take on this longstanding injustice, which explores the quotidian duality that Palestinians inhabit. Because external life and citizenship are hindered by the subjugation, creative outlets that will allow for an unencumbered existence at least in one realm of life become a necessity, as well as a means of establishing substantial heritage and belonging that can be in turn transferred to the younger generation. It’s all delicate stuff, and the foreigner’s handling could reduce the narrative to a lifeless vignette. Still, here Rowley’s outsider’s gaze, as well as the intimacy of his one camera approach, allows for a film that bristles with humanity and defiance. Rowley is a patient, respectful filmmaker, who is genuinely concerned with the fate of his brilliant subjects. This leads him to observe the protagonists’ othering from a bewildered distance, and then to distill its essence into efficient, sharp storytelling.