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Emad Rashidi | Documentary & Travel

@emadrashidi

22.3K

followers

1707

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director + filmmaker 🎥
100+ countries
made in iran 🦁 based in usa 🇺🇸
contact / bookings: [email protected]

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Several months ago, I was in South America - my friend @samystan calls me and asks me to get on a plane and come to Uganda - to a small village to create a film that immediately felt like something special.

A woman had brought together a group of young kids - skateboarders, who created more than just a bond and friendship through skating. They built a community… a new home… something that now echoes far beyond their village.

I knew that a story like this needed the right team. I called on @arkeilfunk to help me co-direct and produce the film - one of my closest friends, filmmaker and skateboarder. And @abutosounds , another close friend based in Kenya and the best sound engineer I know.

This is “SKATELAND”

A film about a village in Uganda where local kids come together, navigating the challenges of their environment and community to build a skate scene - eventually creating a new skatepark and chasing the dream of one day becoming professional skaters.

Created in close collaboration with @makelifeskatelife.

This project was special.
We got to learn from this community, build real friendships with these kids, and see their world through their own words and experiences.

Here’s a preview of our documentary.

Full film coming this summer.

Special thank you to the community in Kiteezi, Uganda 🇺🇬 for welcoming us and all the builders from around the world who made this project possible.

#uganda #skate #kiteezi #skateboarding

@muashtempar
@ziggel_07
@renato.sr_
@isaacjojinah
@ephraimsylar
@tzskateboarding
@menumenumenumenu
@aliciapaquita_
@edrine_ribello
@badbrain666
@jaayfilms
@kampalaskateboardinitiative
@madarsapse
@hale
@luisiadomental
@nathanachos_libre
@skateandgrind_
@gose_gerald
@ugandaskateboardsociety
@emily_kirsch
@ice_n_smiles
@__the__life__of__riley__
@jessy_brown_
@erick_ssb9
@ricky.sb_
@climateskaterskiteezi
@dirtskater
@theskatenomad_
@jairo_a_galvis
@imnot_terence
@eye_zac
@bmx_uganda taken in Uganda, Africa by @emadrashidi

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7 months ago

It was 2 years ago when i got the call….to pack my camera, say goodbye, and not know when I would come home.

Using my network of relationships i had built in different parts of the world for over a decade - what started as an idea in my head, was created right before me.

It’s hard to describe just how special this project was for me…years of adventure full of incredible risk, challenges, and rewards that reminded me every step of the way why i chose this career as my way of life.

Along the way, I asked my assistants and friends in different parts of the world to help me document my own journey. From volcanos in Iceland, desert caravans in Mongolia, sleeping on boats in the Amazon, roadtripping across Japan, and many more - this is a glimpse into that journey, and this is my story.

I want to thank all the special people that helped me capture these moments and those i connected with along the way who made this story possible

@mariaxlopezpf
@guimaguima
@maiharamarjorie
@ruyctone
@amigosdelmar
@mono.salazar
@anilo.ofc
@bysaraprada
@andresespinosa1030
@ynwataiga
@islayjoy
@reuben
@ttthefineprinttt
@location101africa
@abutosounds
@dit_kenya
@leezkariz
@jasonruno
@eyeflyafrica
@garaujo
@agrocampones_
@fioresivalsoler
@vicente_franca
@fred.toscano
@beckofelix
@anasofiaorcopp
@max_t_r_
@_ethanthompson__
@adryarmentag
@canostang
@luis_cajero
@vanessaarieltorres
@javierorozcoppel

learn more at starlink.com/stories

#starlink @spacex taken in Planet Earth by @emadrashidi

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a year ago

The 5,500km coastline of west Africa is home to some of the most diverse fish in the world. Many Africans depend on fishing as a main source of income and food, making it one of the most important industries in west Africa. On an early morning in Mauritania, I captured the routines of the fishermen while they were collecting their belongings and heading to sea for the day.

This is part of a bigger story, that explores the relationship humans around the world have with our planets resources, and the impacts on local communities and environments.

When covid began shutting down the world, i was currently in the midst of a big project in western Africa that had to be put on hold. It took me away from what i love doing most - learning about others around the world and sharing their stories. It’s been a long year...but as things begin to normalize, I’m excited to continue to tell these stories from different pockets of the globe. The support from you all means everything. taken in Mauritania by @emadrashidi

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5 years ago

These are the young Climate Skaters of Uganda (@climateskaterskiteezi).

Just outside the capital city of Kampala, this community lives alongside the Kiteezi Landfill, the largest dump serving Kampala’s 4 million people, where around 2,000 tons of waste are dumped every day.

In August 2024, after days of heavy rain, a massive section of the landfill collapsed onto nearby homes, killing dozens of people and devastating the neighborhood.

These kids grew up in the middle of it, and they skate through it. Through trash, mud, and some of the toughest conditions anywhere, they’re building a skate scene from the ground up and becoming some of the best young skaters in East Africa and getting worldwide recognition.

Their dedication to building a better life and community for themselves thru skating is a big inspiration to me. 🇺🇬🛹

Created in collaboration with @makelifeskatelife. Kiteezi is now home to Uganda’s first international-standard concrete skatepark and is featured in a documentary I’m creating with @arkeilfunk and @abutosounds.

#uganda #skateboard #skating #kampala #africa taken in Uganda, Africa by @emadrashidi

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a day ago

Nobody told me Oregon looks like this 👀

#oregon #desert #oregonexplored #badlands taken in Oregon by @emadrashidi

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23 days ago

They’re as fascinated by my camera, as I am by their world.

#kogi #colombia #documentary #indigenous taken in Colombia by @emadrashidi

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25 days ago

Waking up on another planet….Utah is truly a different world.

#utah #mars #desert #utahisbeautiful taken in Utah by @emadrashidi

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a month ago

Drove my 4x4 50 miles thru the sand in the middle of the night to have sunrise all to myself in White Pocket, AZ.

#arizona #whitepocket #brainrocks #desert taken in Arizona by @emadrashidi

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2 months ago

Driving thru the badlands of eastern Oregon feels so otherworldly…can’t believe I haven’t explored this area before.

#oregon #badlands #oregonexplored #overlandlife #oregonisbeautiful taken in Oregon by @emadrashidi

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2 months ago

It’s incredible what happens in life when you truly value and desire something for yourself. This project taught me that - and it’s not selfish to go out and get it.

During my travels around the world - I would often see this same car…the @mitsubishimotorsofficial Mitsubishi Montero / Pajero. It was a car that I would find myself in time after time, country after country, in different parts of the world, and it became synonymous in my mind with the incredible places that I experienced.

I searched for her for years…and finally found it sitting in a garage with only 50K miles, waiting for me to unretire her and bring her back to life. I spent the last couple years getting her ready for the road, and now im taking my 1989 dream car to the harshest places across the continent, doing what i love.

It’s more than a vehicle, it’s more than a “thing, it’s a vessel that carries some of my most precious memories of the world, and that takes me to the places i love the most. But it’s even more than that - It’s about valuing and taking care of something that was here before my time, and I’m excited to share a glimpse of this personal story with you all.

To be continued…

“BEFORE MY TIME”

#mitsubishi #pajero #montero taken in North America by @emadrashidi

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2 months ago

The tallest palm trees in the world are in the Cocora Valley, Colombia 🇨🇴 peaking thru the clouds.

#colombia #cocora #cocoravalley #mountains clouds taken in Valle de Cocora by @emadrashidi

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5 months ago

The raw beauty of Colombia 🇨🇴….a place that keeps calling me back 💚Recognize any of these places?

#colombia🇨🇴 #colombia #southamerica #latinamerica #landscapes taken in Colombia by @emadrashidi

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5 months ago