NAF–A STREET KID

Israeli rapper Naf (short for the biblical name Naftali) lived a life of security with his ultra-orthodox family until the age of 14, when he cut his hair and declared himself secular. Considering Naf to be a negative influence on his siblings, his father beat him and banished him from the house. When director Moshe Alafi introduces us to Naf, he is 16 years old, homeless in Jerusalem, and is already a survivor of violence, drug addiction, and sexual assault. We follow Naf for two and a half years as he struggles to survive without a job, a family or a permanent place to live. But NAF – A STREET KID is more a portrait of a fighter than of a victim. Spitting his raw, anger-laced rhymes to whomever will listen, Naf spends most of his time doggedly advocating for his own artistic work, taking on the city council as a representative of Jerusalem’s homeless youth, and in court—fighting back against the man who sexually abused him.

Set to a soundtrack comprised solely of Naf’s rough freestyle and studio recordings and enhanced by Alfani’s frenetic handheld shots of the city at night, NAF – A STREET KID presents a rare and uncensored glimpse into a youth underworld rife with violence and uncertainty. The documentary also provides a window into the deep divisions between religious and secular life in contemporary Israeli society.