Tel Aviv on Fire (2018)
Director: Sameh Zoabi | Narrative | Luxembourg, Belgium, Israel, France | 2018 | 100 min. | Arabic, Hebrew (w/ subtitles)
RJFF. Winner of top prizes at the Haifa and Venice film festivals, Tel Aviv on Fire takes a deeply satirical view of the Arab-Israeli conflict, making fun of everyone. Salaam, a Palestinian living in Jerusalem, writes for a soap opera popular among both Arabs and Jews. Things get complicated when the Israeli commander of the checkpoint that Salaam drives through each day starts suggesting plot twists to please his wife, while the show’s backers demand twists in the opposite direction. Tel Aviv on Fire is one of the most irreverent cinematic spins on the Arab-Israeli conflict.
“A witty and warm-hearted look at a divided land.”
Hollywood Reporter