Roller Derby is a fierce and physical contact sport, pioneered by women who aren’t afraid to defy conventions. From its resurgence in Austin, Texas, it has made its way around the world, cutting a bold line of resistance wherever it takes root.
But in Beirut, the home of Lebanon’s first Roller Derby team, that arc of defiance runs deeper than elsewhere. The young women who make up this remarkable crew are more than just pioneers; they’re architects of a new future.
All but two of the team’s regular members are studying at the American University of Beirut (AUB) as part of the MEPI Tomorrow’s Leaders programme, an intensely competitive scholarship for brilliant, socially engaged students from politically volatile Arab nations. They’re studying with a purpose and bold intent: to return home as nation-builders and help bring their countries back from the brink.
Hadeel Al-Hubaishi is a 22-year-old Yemeni business student – known to her team mates as ‘Shiny Tiny’ – whose uncontrollable laughter at most Roller Derby Beirut training sessions belies her fighting spirit. Through her eyes, we come to see what life is like for a young woman like her, living in limbo between her war-torn home and new life in Beirut.
After supporting the Saudi-led coalition’s military attacks against the Houthi rebel movement in Northern Yemen, the US recently attacked the rebels with a barrage of cruise missiles fired from a US navy destroyer, intervening directly in Yemen’s devastating civil war for the first time.
While their families remain confined by conflict, and their homes become ravaged by war, Hadeel and her teammates are channelling all their energy into the promise of a better future, bolstered by their academic studies and the community spirit that they’ve fostered together.
The aim of roller derby is to lap your opponents, and physically block them from lapping you. But how do you keep going, both on and off the track, when your mind keeps flitting to what might be happening back at home?
Shiny Tiny is directed by Isabel Freeman and Andrea Kurland.
Subscribe to Huck’s YouTube channel to make sure you never miss another short film.
Enjoyed this article? Like Huck on Facebook or follow us on Twitter.
You might like
Moshpits & kickflips at the Volcom Garden Experience 2026
Family affair — Last weekend, the skate, surf and snow culture brand hosted a free mini festival in its European backyard of Biarritz. We went along and chatted to legendary artist and surfer Ozzie Wright.
Written by: Isaac Muk
The rise of France’s rollerskiing scene, as its snowfall thins
Carving road — With changing climates forcing skiers to travel higher up mountains in search of quality powder, a small community is turning to tarmac and building a new vision of the sport that doesn’t rely on winter.
Written by: Flore Boitel
A portrait of the UK’s oldest boxing club
Learning the Ropes — A new documentary by Ryan Pickard chronicles the hard-edged history of Repton Boxing Club in Bethnal Green, while asking poignant questions about the present and future of the sport in the UK.
Written by: Sydney Lobe
In photos: The gritty golden age of the UK’s skateboarding scene
Elsewhere — A new book from Science Vs. Life founder Neil Macdonald explores the characters, photographs and ephemera that defined the sport in the ’80s and ’90s, just before the internet and commercialisation changed it forever.
Written by: Isaac Muk
New film spotlights London’s Bubble Club, the party by people with learning disabilities
Radically inclusive clubbing — Produced by Muddled Marauders and currently fundraising for completion, the feature documentary focuses on the inclusive night, which has been in operation since 2005.
Written by: Roxana Diba
Sophie Green’s maximalist, technicolour vision of Britain’s fringes
Tangerine Dreams — The photographer has spent over a decade documenting the rituals, subcultures and social gatherings that form the collaged fabric of the UK’s society. A new exhibition at the Martin Parr Foundation celebrates her work and the communities she captures.
Written by: Roxana Diba
