Meen

KANSAS CITY ⇄ NYC

STORIES TOLD
FROM THE
INSIDE

Balla Bateekh is a Kansas City and NYC based production company founded by Khitam Jabr. The company produces work where stories are told from the inside — with the specificity and care they deserve.

MAKE COOL SHIT · KC ⇄ NYC

بلا بطيخ أحمر

بلا بطيخ أحمر

BALLA BATEEKH AHMAR — “WITHOUT RED WATERMELON”

WHY “WITHOUT WATERMELON”?

WHY “WITHOUT WATERMELON”?

Balla Bateekh — literally “without watermelon” — is inspired by the Arabic saying balla bateekh ahmar, a phrase used to make a point with clarity and intent. Like the saying, our work cuts to the heart of the matter: human experience.

Balla Bateekh exists to humanize the narratives of underrepresented voices. Through authentic, immersive storytelling, we illuminate the nuanced dimensions of identity, culture, and experience. Each film is crafted to make audiences not just watch, but feel.

From the visual language to sound design, every element of a film is intentional — designed to resonate emotionally and linger in the mind. Storytelling is a powerful tool for connection, understanding, and change.

Balla Bateekh — literally “without watermelon” — is inspired by the Arabic saying balla bateekh ahmar, a phrase used to make a point with clarity and intent. Like the saying, our work cuts to the heart of the matter: human experience.

Balla Bateekh exists to humanize the narratives of underrepresented voices. Through authentic, immersive storytelling, we illuminate the nuanced dimensions of identity, culture, and experience. Each film is crafted to make audiences not just watch, but feel.

From the visual language to sound design, every element of a film is intentional — designed to resonate emotionally and linger in the mind. Storytelling is a powerful tool for connection, understanding, and change.

BATEEKH

CONTAINS: NO WATERMELON

WITHOUT WATERMELON · MAKE COOL SHIT ·

THE FOUNDER

THE FOUNDER

KHITAM JABR — FILMMAKER · WRITER · PRODUCER

CASE FILE Nº 01 — FOUNDER

KHITAM JABR / YERHAM · LEAD TALENT STILL

LIGHTING THE LIVING ROOM / ON SET · YERHAM

Khitam Jabr is a Palestinian-American filmmaker, writer, and producer based in NYC. Her creative practice is grounded in memory, identity, and resistance — using cinema to hold space for stories that are often flattened or made invisible in mainstream media.

She wrote and co-directed Yerham with Julia Barnett, also serving as editor, executive producer, and art director. Yerham is her debut film.

Khitam Jabr is a Palestinian-American filmmaker, writer, and producer based in NYC. Her creative practice is grounded in memory, identity, and resistance — using cinema to hold space for stories that are often flattened or made invisible in mainstream media.

She wrote and co-directed Yerham with Julia Barnett, also serving as editor, executive producer, and art director. Yerham is her debut film.

THE ROAD IN

A chemistry degree and a path to dental school — traded for film classes taken as electives, and never looked back.

SET YEARS

10+ years on union commercial sets, working up from PA to production supervisor.

TV

Casting producer on The Rap Game.

DIRECTED

Yerham · Toxic (Calvin Arsenia) · Bottom of Your Belly (Katy Guillen & The Drive) · Summer in Hindsight.

10+ YEARS ON SET · PA → PRODUCTION SUPERVISOR

ACTIVE FILE

“

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“We center the crew, the collaborators, the village. Human stories, not hero stories.”

“We center the crew, the collaborators, the village. Human stories, not hero stories.”

Nothing here gets made alone. The credits are long on purpose — from Emmy-winning DPs to the family members who let a camera into the kitchen. If you’ve worked a Balla Bateekh set, you’re part of this.

DIRECTOR

DP

1ST AD

KEY GRIP

HMU

STEADICAM

DRONE OP

COMPOSER

COLORIST

BTS STILLS

THE FAMILY

THE VILLAGE / YERHAM WRAP · KANSAS CITY

THE CREDITS ARE LONG ON PURPOSE

HOW WE WORK

HOW WE WORK

HONESTY · EMPATHY · SENSORY IMMERSION

HONESTY · EMPATHY · SENSORY IMMERSION

01

01

SENSORY OVER SENTIMENTAL

SENSORY OVER SENTIMENTAL

Texture, not explanations. Mourning has a temperature and a sound; so does joy. We shoot for the feeling in the room.

02

02

IDENTITY IS THE SOIL

IDENTITY IS THE SOIL

Never a talking point, never performed for an outside gaze. It’s present in the names we choose and the stories we tell.

03

03

CREATIVE CONTROL, KEPT

CREATIVE CONTROL, KEPT

Independent by design — so every project retains the honesty it started with, from first draft to final mix.

ETHOS

MORE THAN A
PRODUCTION COMPANY.

MORE THAN A
PRODUCTION COMPANY.

See the fann →

Salam