Tel Aviv on fire
Taking place nowadays in Ramallah where everybody watches the successful soap opera « Tel Aviv on Fire » in which a Palestinian female spy has a love affair with an Israeli General in 1967, the film tells the story of Salam, a charming 30-year-old Palestinian living in East Jerusalem, working as an intern on the show in Ramallah.
Every day, he has to pass by the check-point to reach the studios.
He encounters the check-point Commander Assi, whose wife is a huge fan of the soap.
In order to please her, Assi puts pressure on Salam to influence the story of the show.
Salam soon understands Assi’s creative vision can get him a promotion as a screenwriter, at least until Assi and the show’s financial backers start disagreeing on how it should all end, leaving Salam uncomfortably caught in the middle…
Year:
2018
Director:
Sameh Zoabi
Producers:
Samsa Film (Bernard Michaux), TS Productions (France)
Coproducers:
Lama Films (Israël), Artémis Productions (Be), BE TV & Shelter Prod (Be)
Cast:
Kais Nashif, Lubna Azabal, Yaniv Biton, Nadim Sawalha, Maisa Abd Elhadi, Salim Daw, Laëtitia Eïdo, Wafaa Abo Zarifa, Amer Oklah
With the support of
Film Fund Luxembourg
Financiers:
Eurimages, Israeli Film Fund, Israeli Film Council, Ministry of Culture and Sport, Creative Europe of the Media Programme, Centre du Cinéma et de l'Audiovisuel de la Fédération Wallonie Bruxelles, Tax Shelter du Gouvernement fédéral de Belgique, Gesher Multicultural Fund, Fohs Foundation and Mifal Hapais
Awards:
Official Selection Venise 2018, Orizzonti, Best Actor Award for Sameh Zoabi
Prix Interfilm "Promoting Interreligious Dialogue" à Venise,
Prix du Meilleur Film et Prix du Meilleur Scénario au Festival de Haïfa,
Prix JAM de la Meilleure Musique au Festival Cinemed de Montpellier,
Grand Prix du Jury et Prix de la Critique au Festival du Film de Comédie de Liège
Grand Prix et Prix du Jury des Jeunes au Festival de Saint-Jean-de-Luz,
Prix du Meilleur Scénario au Asia Pacific Screen Awards
