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STORY: LEBANON / REFUGEE SURFER
TRT: 02:55
SOURCE: UNHCR
RESTRICTIONS: NONE
LANGUAGE: ARABIC / ENGLISH / NATS
DATELINE: 24 APRIL 2017, JIYEH, LEBANON
1. Various shots, Ali Kassem riding the waves
2. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ali Kassem, Syrian Refuge:
"The first wave I rode, I was able to stand. I loved it. "
3. Wide shot, Kassem in the water
4. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ali Kassem, Syrian Refuge:
“It’s an amazing feeling.”
5. Wide shot, Kassem surfing
6. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ali Kassem, Syrian Refuge:
"When I came to Lebanon, It was my first time seeing the sea.”
7. Aerial shot, Kassem paddling in the water
8. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ali Kassem, Syrian Refuge:
“I would just sit and watch the surfers.”
9. Aerial shot, Kassem paddling in the water
10. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ali Kassem, Syrian Refuge:
“One time, I saw a foam board and decided to turn it into a surfboard. I cut it so it looked like a surfboard.”
11. Wide shot, Kassem surfing
12. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ali Kassem, Syrian Refuge:
“I got really excited to get in the water and try it out."
13. Med shot, Kassem in the water
14. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ali Kassem, Syrian Refuge:
“The waves were big, as I got in, Ali and Ahmad called me to get out, they asked if I wasn’t worried of drowning, I told them no I wanted to try.”
15. Med shot, Ali El Amin, Lebanese surfer, in the water
16. SOUNDBITE (English) Ali El Amin, Surf Lebanon:
“That’s what he wanted to do and no one could take it away from him because he shaped his own board. He was ready to do it without a wetsuit so he really, really wanted it.”
17. Wide shot, Kassem surfing
18. Various shots, Ali El Amin and Ali Kassem getting out of the water and walking
19. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ali Kassem, Syrian Refuge:
"Ali and Ahmad are like my big brothers, they love me a lot."
20. Various shots, Kassem sitting with Lebanese surfers
21. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ali Kassem, Syrian Refuge:
"When I surf I forget everything. Even if I had something on my mind, once I am in the water I forget."
22. Various shots, Kassem waxing his board
23. Aerial shot, Kassem walking with his board
24. Med shot, Kassem walking with his board
25. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ali Kassem, Syrian Refuge:
"Surfing has changed everything in my life."
26. Aerial shot, Kassem walking towards the sea
27. Various shots, Kassem sitting by the beach
Ali, a refugee from Aleppo, was 14 when he spotted a group of surfers off the coast of Lebanon where he lived with his family. Although Ali had never seen the sea before, he was immediately hit by the surfing bug. A group of Lebanese surfers made his dream come true.
Ali’s passion is to ride the waves.
SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ali Kassem, Syrian Refuge:
"The first wave I rode, I was able to stand. I loved it. It’s an amazing feeling.”
Ali is a refugee from Aleppo.
SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ali Kassem, Syrian Refuge:
"When I came to Lebanon, It was my first time seeing the sea. I would just sit and watch the surfers. One time, I saw a foam board and decided to turn it into a surfboard. I cut it so it looked like a surfboard. I got really excited to get in the water and try it out. The waves were big, as I got in, Ali and Ahmad called me to get out, they asked if I wasn’t worried of drowning, I told them no I wanted to try."
SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ali Kassem, Syrian Refuge:
"He wanted it. He wanted to surf. That’s what he wanted to do and no one could take it away from him because he shaped his own board. He was ready to do it without a wet-suit so he really, really wanted it."
Lebanese surfers gave Ali a wet-suit and board. They also trained him.
SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ali Kassem, Syrian Refuge:
"Ali and Ahmad are like my big brothers, they love me a lot. When I surf I forget everything. Even if I had something on my mind, once I am in the water I forget. Surfing has changed everything in my life."
Ali wants to become a professional surfer and a champion. And when he can go back, open a surfing school in Syria.
