Skaterotopia

Rolling into a skatepark in the heart of Athens’ Kerameikos neighbourhood, Skaterotopia dives into the urban skaters’ world. Entering into the skate spot Latraac through its sliding doors, the documentary mingles with the visitors to the space. Functioning as a cafe during the day and a hip bar during the night, Latraac mainly serves its role of being a wood-built skate bowl, envisioned and constructed by its founder architect and fellow skater. The movie investigates the profiles and identities of the skaters present at Latraac, then allows them to lead us into the diverse skater communities across the city. ΟΑΚΑ skatepark is one location where the movie introduces the viewer to a younger, more diverse community of amateur skaters. The movie brings the viewer back to the skate spot Latraac and subtly reflects on its status within the larger community and neighbourhood it is located within. Skaterotopia investigates the multiple forms of exclusion and inclusion present within a skater community’s place within the larger urban environment of Athens that is undergoing significant and fast-paced changes.

 

 

Juul Hesselberth

Juul is a MSc student in Visual Ethnography at the University of Leiden, the Netherlands. The subjects that interested her most during her BCs degree in Psychology were those of social issues, with a focus on gender relations. She put her BSc degree on hold to shoot a documentary, which was about the impact of surf tourism on developing countries. Continuing on her fascination for sports and gender, in her master thesis documentary she will focus on how female surfers develop their skills and express their femininity in surfing.

Nada El-Kouny

Nada is a PhD candidate in Cultural Anthropology at Rutgers University, New Jersey. Before pursuing an academic career, Nada worked as a journalist in Egypt from 2011-2013, covering local Egyptian and Middle-East related news. Nada achieved a bachelor’s degree from the American University in Cairo double-majoring in Political Science and Anthropology. Nada helped organize two International Refugee Film Festivals in Cairo. She was also a Production Coordinator for an animated documentary on the experiences of women during the 2011 Egyptian uprisings.

 

Renate Bijlholt

Renate Bijlholt is currently doing a Visual Ethnography master at Leiden University. During her bachelor in psychology, she went to Melbourne, Australia to do a minors in film & videography. When she returned, she built up her portfolio in videography and started her own company as a freelancer. She is particularly interested in topics regarding mental health and climate issues. The latter will be the topic of her master thesis documentary.