Blu-ray, DVD, Digital Release: Tel Aviv on Fire

The politically charged Israeli comedy Tel Aviv on Fire takes a bold approach to one of the more divisive issues of our time.

In the film, Salam (Kais Nashif), a charming young Palestinian living in Jerusalem, works as an intern on a popular Palestinian soap opera, “Tel Aviv on Fire,” which is produced in the West Bank city of Ramallah. Every day Salam must pass through an arduous Israeli checkpoint to reach the television studios. He meets the commander of the checkpoint, Assi (Yaniv Biton), 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 realizes 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.

Tel Aviv on Firereceived wide acclaim upon its festival run, winning the Venice Film Festival’s Interfilm Award-Best Film for director Sameh Zoabi (Under the Same Sun) and the Venice Horizons Award-Best Actor prize for Kais Nashif.

The Blu-ray and DVD if the film both include the special feature “Conversations at The Quad with Director Sameh Zoabi.”