Israel/ Palestine, today:

Salam, a charming 30-year-old Palestinian living in Jerusalem, works as an intern on a popular Palestinian soap opera, “Tel Aviv on Fire,” which is produced in Ramallah. Every day, Salam must pass through an arduous Israeli checkpoint to reach the television studios. He meets the commander of the checkpoint, Assi, whose wife is a huge fan of the show. In order to impress her, Assi gets involved in the writing of the show.

Salam soon realises that Assi’s ideas could get him a promotion as a screenwriter. Salam’s creative career catches fire, until Assi and the soap’s financial backers disagree on how the soap opera should end. Squeezed between an army officer and the Arab backers, Salam can only solve his problems with a final master stroke.

Direction: Sameh Zoabi

Script: Dan Kleinman, Sameh Zoabi

Production: Bernard Michaux

Co-Production: Milena Poylo, Gilles Sacuto, Amir Harel, Patrick Quinet

Cinematography: Laurent Brunet

Editing: Catherine Schwartz

Production Design: Christina Schaffer

Costume Design: Magdalena Labuz

Make-Up: Jasmine Schmit

Sound: Alain Sironval

Original Score: André Dziezuk

Visual Effects: Eric Nicolas Smit

Cast: Kais Nashif, Lubna Azabal, Nadim Sawalha, Salim Daw, Laëtitia Eïdo, Amer Hlel, Yaniv Biton, Maisa Abd Elhadi

Original Title: TEL AVIV ON FIRE

Original Languages: Arabic, Hebrew

Film Production Countries: Luxembourg, France, Israel, Belgium

Website: https://www.indiesales.eu/tel-aviv-on-fire

Biography of the Director/s
Sameh Zoabi was born and raised in Iksal, a Palestinian village near Nazareh. He graduated from Tel Aviv University in Film Studies and English Literature, then received a Fullbright Fellowship to pursue an M.F.A. in Film Direction from the School of the Arts at Columbia University. He is also recipient of the prestigious residencies at the Cannes Festival Cinefoundation as well as the Sundance Screenwriters Lab.
Sameh's unique voice was recognised by Filmmaker Magazine and he was named one of the "Top 25 New Faces of Independent Cinema". His work has been shown and has won awards at many international film festivals, including Cannes, Toronto, Locarno, Sundance, Karlovy Vary, New Directors/New Films and the New York.

Filmography of the Director/s
as director

2018 - TEL AVIV ON FIRE
2013 - UNDER THE SAME SUN, tv
2012 - MAWSEM HISAD, doc., co-directed with Nassim Amaouch, Mais Darwazah and Erige Sehiri
2010 - MAN WITHOUT A CELL PHONE
2005 - BE QUIET, short

as writer
2015 - THE IDOL by Hany Abu-Assad

Awards Won
Orizzonti Award for Best Actor - Venice Film Festival - 2018,
Award Interfilm "Promoting Interreligious Dialogue" - Venice Film Festival - 2018,
Award of Best Film and Award of Best Screenplay - Haïfa Film Festival 2018,
JAM Award of Best Music Score - Festival Cinemed of Montpellier - 2018
Jury Grand Prix and Critics' Award - Festival du Film de Comédie de Liège - 2018
Grand Prix and Youth Jury Award - Festival de Saint-Jean-de-Luz - 2018
Award of Best Screenplay - Asia Pacific Screen Awards - 2018
Award of Best Screenplay - Monte-Carlo Festival - 2018
François Chalais Award of Best Screenplay - Rencontres Cinématographiques de Cannes - 2018

Production Company:
Samsa Film
Bernard Michaux
238C, rue de Luxembourg
Bertrange, 8077, Luxembourg
E-Mail: [email protected]
Phone: +352 451 96 01
Website: http://www.samsa.lu/

TS PRODUCTIONS
Milena Poylo
73, rue Notre Dame des Champs
Paris, F-75006, France
E-Mail: [email protected]
Phone: +33 1 53 10 24 00
Website: http://www.tsproductions.fr/

LAMA FILMS
Amir Harel
22 Sderot Chen
Tel Aviv, 6416603, Israel
E-Mail: [email protected]
Phone: +972 3 685 04 30
Website: http://www.lamafilms.com/

World Sales:
INDIE SALES
Nicolas Eschbach
32, rue de Washington
Paris, F-75008, France
E-Mail: [email protected]
Phone: +33 1 44 83 02 27
Website: http://www.indiesales.eu/

Press:
Samsa Film
Bernard Michaux
238C, rue de Luxembourg
Bertrange, 8077, Luxembourg
E-Mail: [email protected]
Phone: +352 451 96 01
Website: http://www.samsa.lu/