Yallah! Underground (2015): cast, story & where to watch

Released in 2015, Yallah! Underground is a music and documentary film directed by Farid Eslam, running about 85 minutes. “Yallah! Underground follows some of today’s most influential and progressive artists in Arab underground culture from 2009 to 2013 and documents their work, dreams and fears in a time of grea” — that tagline sets the tone.

What it’s about. Yallah! Underground follows some of today’s most influential and progressive artists in Arab underground culture from 2009 to 2013 and documents their work, dreams and fears in a time of great change for Arab societies. In a region full of tension, young Arab artists in the Middle East have struggled for years to express themselves freely and to promote more liberal attitudes within their societies. During the Arab Spring, like many others of this new generation, local artists had high hopes for the future and took part in the protests. However, after years of turmoil and instability, young Arabs now have to challenge both old and new problems, being torn between feelings of disillusion and a vague hope for a better future.

Who’s in it. Yallah! Underground stars Zeid Hamdan as Himself, Maii Waleed Yassin as Herself, Ostaz Samm as Himself and Amer Shomali as Himself, among others.

How it landed. With an audience score of 6.0/10, Yallah! Underground has drawn a solid, mixed-to-positive response.

Where to watch. In US you can rent or buy it from Amazon Video, Apple TV Store, Google Play Movies and YouTube. See the full, country-by-country breakdown on our where to watch Yallah! Underground page.

If you liked it. Fans of Yallah! Underground tend to enjoy Whiplash, Coco, Green Book and The Legend of 1900.