The Global Search for Education: From Streets to Stage in Tangier

This month audiences can watch Our Theater, Our Home on the Planet Classroom Network.

In Our Theater, Our Home, director Faysal Farah captures the life-changing power of the arts. Filmed in Tangier, Morocco, this emotional documentary follows Tarik Bakkali, a former homeless youth turned mentor at Darna, a community theater. Through theater and mentorship, Tarik overcomes personal hardship and guides others toward hope. With stunning visuals by Yasmine Tohme, the film honors resilience, purpose, and the redemptive power of creativity. The film was produced by Rachel Fogarty-Noonan.

The Global Search for Education is pleased to welcome Director Faysal Farah.

Faysal, welcome. How did Tarik’s story first come to your attention?

When we were touring Darna’s centres in Tangier, Tarik’s name kept coming up. People mentioned him like we already knew who he was. After finally meeting Tarik and chatting with him over atay (Moroccan tea), we discovered he’d started coming to Darna as a kid — quiet and unsure of himself — and now he was someone others looked up to. Hearing how he grew into that role helped us understand what Darna does for young people in Tangier.

What made Darna Theatre such a unique place to feature?

There’s something about the energy in that space. You walk in and see local art on the walls, kids rehearsing on stage, and people hanging around who clearly feel at home there. For a lot of young people in Tangier, it’s one of the few places where they feel like what they say and do matters. That came through in everything — in the performances, in the way they carried themselves. It just felt honest.

How did you approach balancing personal interviews with performance footage?

We didn’t want to rely solely on sit-down interviews to share Tarik’s story. Tarik had a lot to say, but he also had a way of carrying himself that said just as much. How he listened to the kids, how he played the drums during rehearsals, how he bantered with his friends — those little moments told the story for us. So we made sure the camera was always rolling, whether it was a conversation or a casual scene. That mix gave the film a better rhythm.

What message do you hope audiences take from Tarik’s transformation?

That real growth takes time, and it doesn’t happen alone. Tarik found support, and he stuck with it. Then he started giving that same support to others. That cycle — one person helping the next — is what stays with us. You don’t need a big dramatic turnaround to make a difference. Sometimes it’s just about showing up for someone the way others showed up for you.

C. M. Rubin with Faysal Farah

Don’t Miss Our Theater, Our Home, now streaming on the Planet Classroom Network’s YouTube Channel