Free Move­ment Skate­board­ing: A Mobile Community

Pula / Kino Valli / 21 / 9 / 2024 / 20:00 / Film

In Greece, years of eco­nom­ic instabil­ity and mass migra­tion have stretched the seams of exist­ing wel­fare sys­tems, leav­ing gap­ing holes that deep­en inequal­ity and pre­ju­dice against asylum seekers, espe­cially among those already at the mar­gins of soci­ety. Com­munity is a fab­ric pulled to the point of tearing.
Free Move­ment, an NGO focus­ing on fos­ter­ing solid­ar­ity through skate classes in Athens. And two remark­able women, both named Denia, who nur­ture well-being and equal­ity, on and off the board. With their mobile skate­park and weekly ses­sions across Greece’s cap­it­al, they cre­ate spaces of safety, inclus­iv­ity, and empower­ment for youth from all walks of life, includ­ing refugees. It is their story that is told through this documentary.

This film stands as a test­a­ment to the power of grass­roots social work and offers a roadmap for nav­ig­at­ing a frac­tured sys­tem with grace and resi­li­ence. It cel­eb­rates solid­ar­ity in action and extends an open invit­a­tion to any­one bold enough to step onto a skate­board – assur­ing them that this little toy brings not just accept­ance but the warm embrace of belong­ing. — Markus Bengston