Yallah! - Animated Short Film

Yallah! is an Arabic term and can mean anything from “Let’s go!” or “Come on!” or “Hurry up!”.  I guess it could be any of the three in the context of this animated short from students at Rubika.  Set in the middle of the Lebanon war of 1982, we meet Nicolas, a man about to flee his virtually destroyed city, Beirut.  However, before too long he encounters Naji, a teenager who lands abruptly on the bonnet of his car. Despite the chaos and destruction of war (or perhaps because of it), he has become determined to go swimming – and the pool is only a few blocks away.  Ignoring Nicolas’ warnings and protestations, Naji is determined to swim – and Nicolas feels the need to try and somehow protect him as he makes his way there.

This is a beautifully made film, and you may find yourself disbelieving that it is a student film, such is its exceptionally high standard of animation. Exploring identity and movement through powerful visual storytelling,  It has a certain lyrical quality to it, despite the backdrop and is much more fun than you might expect, given the time and place in which it is set. Yallah! was directed by Nayla Nassar, Edouard Pitula, Renaud De Saint Albin, Cécile Adant, Anaïs Sassatelli, and Candice Behague. This animated short won "Best Student Project" at SIGGRAPH 2022 (prestigious because it showcases world-leading innovation in computer graphics, judged by experts, and launches careers in film, gaming, and technology). It has only just become available to stream and I’m really pleased to be able to share it with you on Kuriositas.