Tel Aviv on Fire and The Future, Israeli and Palestinian Films

By Nate Feldman

The conflict in the Middle East between Israelis and Palestinians has dominated the international headlines for decades now, and more so ever in the past year.  Naturally, many films by Israeli and Palestinian filmmakers focus on this subject in their pictures.  Of these films, however, there are some that focus on relationship building between the two sides, and not just war.  Here are a list of films that do this.  

Film Title: Tel Aviv on Fire 

Year: 2018

Country: Israel 

Length: 97 minutes 

Cast: Kais Nashef, Yaniv Biton, Maisa Abd AlHady 

Tel Aviv on Fire is a 2018 satirical drama by director Sameh Zoabi about a Palestinian soap opera writer from East Jerusalem and the relationship he forms with the Israeli commander at the local checkpoint he must cross to go to work every day.  

Salaam Abass (Kais Nashif) has begun working for his uncle, a soap opera producer based in Ramallah, on his TV show "Tel Aviv on Fire."  The show revolves around a Palestinian woman prior to the 1967 Six Day's War being sent on a mission by Palestinian fighters to get top secret information from an Israeli general.  Salaam is there to help with the character's Hebrew dialogue, but he is eventually promoted to full-time writer.  The only problem is he has no writing experience, so he begins consulting Assi Tzur (Yaniv Biton), the commanding officer at the checkpoint Salaam crosses through to get from Jerusalem to Ramallah and back on a daily basis, for ideas with his script.  Assi offers his assistance in return for Salaam bringing him the best hummus possible.  This begins a bizarre, often humorous relationship between the Palestinian soap opera writer and an Israeli soldier controlling his movements.  Assi, whose wife is a devoted fan of the show, insists the Palestinian spy in the story fall in love and marry the Israeli general.  Salaam, however, realizes such a plotline would offend the Palestinian backers and audience of the story.  But Assi is willing to do everything possible to make sure the story turns out as he envisions.  

Tel Aviv on Fire is an incredible movie which remarkably gives insights on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict while remaining humorous and depicting characters from both sides of the conflict in a sympathetic light.  The film itself is a model of co-existence with well-accomplished Palestinian and Israeli actors working together.  The movie, both in the fictional and real world, shows that while the longstanding Israeli-Palestinian conflict may be difficult to resolve, little bits of coexistence and peace are already there.  

Film Title: The Future

Year: 2023

Country: Israel 

Length: 80 minutes

Cast: Reymond Ansellem, Samar Qupty, Dar Zuzovsky

The Future is a 2023 Israeli film starring Reymond Amsellem and Samar Qupty.  Set somtime in the future, the Israeli Minister for Space and Tourism has been assassinated by Yafa (Qupty), a young Palestinian woman who has been arrested by the authorities.  This event occurs as Israel is planning a mission to the moon.  

Meanwhile, Dr. Nurit Bloch (Amsellem) from the Hebrew University in Jerusalem is part of a department that has created an algorithm which predicts a person's future actions.  This invention has been created specifically in mind to know who is going to commit acts of terrorism.  It is for that reason that she is perplexed by Yafa's actions.  Yafa does not seem like the type of person to engage in political violence, and they were unable to foresee her as an assassin.  

For that reason, Nurit brings Yafa to her home to begin a series of interrogations to get to the bottom of her motives.  This initiates a series of dialogues between the two which slowly creates a slightly better understanding between them.  

A subplot of the film is Nurit's ongoing relationship with Maor (Dar Zuzovsky), a younger woman who Nurit wants to be a surrogate mother for a child of hers.  But, something that begins to trouble her is the idea of raising a child in a country where violence seems to be a part of both its present and future.  

This film is a beautifully acted story, which has even more meaning in contemporary times.  It does an excellent job of humanizing both Israelis and Palestinians, something that is essential right now.

For people who are familiar with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from news bits, this story is important to see, not only for getting a unique perspective from the characters, but also to see two actresses, one Israeli Jewish (Amsellem), and the other Palestinian (Qupty), interacting with one another and putting on great performances.  This reinforces that Israelis and Palestinians can work together with one another and do important things together.