Salem (Kais Nashef) is a Palestinian from East Jerusalem, who is a low-level production assistant on the soap opera “Tel Aviv on Fire”, in Ramallah. Following a lie he tells Asi (Yaniv Biton), an officer at the checkpoint he must pass through every day to get to work, he is suddenly promoted to be a screenwriter on the show. There is only one problem – Salem can’t write. To avoid getting fired, Salem makes a deal with Asi, who helps him write in exchange for fine Palestinian hummus, and a promise that the series’ plot will end with a wedding. However, the Palestinian investors want a different ending, and Salem finds himself in a bind.
Tel Aviv on Fire (Hebrew: תל אביב על האש, Tel Aviv Al Ha’Esh) is a 2018 Israeli comedy-drama satire film, written and directed by Sameh Zoabi. The film premiered internationally at the 75th Venice International Film Festival in the Orizzonti section, where Kais Nashef it won the Best Actor award. The Israeli premiere was at the Haifa International Film Festival, where the film won the Best Film and Best Screenplay awards.
Tel Aviv on Fire (2019)
Directed by: Sameh Zoabi
Starring: Kais Nashif, Lubna Azabal, Yaniv Biton, Maisa Abd Elhadi, Nadim Sawalha, Salim Dau, Yousef ‘Joe’ Sweid, Amer Hlehel, Laëtitia Eïdo, Ashraf Farah, Ula Tabari, Yazan Doubal, Alma Hemmo
Screenplay by: Dan Kleinman, Sameh Zoabi
Production Design by: Christina Schaffer
Cinematography by: Laurent Brunet
Film Editing by: Catherine Schwartz
Costume Design by: Magdalena Labuz
Set Decoration by: Ulrika Debatisse, Bashar Hassuneh
Music by: André Dziezuk
Distributed by: Cohen Media Group
Release Date: July 26, 2019
Visits: 44
