Join us for an online viewing and engaging discussion of “Tel Aviv on Fire,” a 2018 comedy/drama about a Palestinian Israeli who lands a job as writer for a TV show set during the Six-Day War.

When down-on-his-luck Salam gets a job as a dialogue coach for a Palestinian soap opera called “Tel Aviv on Fire,” he nearly gets fired for calling a woman on the show “explosive” during her first date. Concocting a story that will have Palestinians and Israelis (mostly women) glued to their TVs, Salam enlists the help of everyone around him, especially the Israeli “general” at the Ramallah checkpoint and his uncle, determined to have Palestinians portrayed in the most positive light. One thing leads to another as Season 1 stumbles to a climax in a wedding scene with a visibly blinking explosive device planted in the bride’s bouquet. “Tel Aviv on Fire,” a zany and hilarious comedy, makes loving fun of Israelis and Palestinians alike while at the same time pointing out the Palestinian predicament of living under Israeli rule. It will leave you smiling and hoping that by some miracle the “backers” will finance Season 2. Directed by Sameh Zoabi and starring Kais Nashif as Salam.

“Thoughtful and well-acted, ‘Tel Aviv on Fire’ highlights the awful absurdity of war—and proves it’s possible to find humor in the midst of cultural conflict.” —Rotten Tomatoes

Please register at https://www.tbemadison.org/event/kesherfilmtelavivonfire to receive the Zoom link.