Two Israeli films at 2019 Sofia International Film Festival
Two films from Israel are being screened at the 2019 Sofia International Film Festival, the embassy said.
The films are The King of Börek, being screened on March 9 and 10, and Tel Aviv on Fire, on March 9, 19 and 22.
At the screening of The King of Börek on March 9 at 6.30pm at the Odeon Cinema, the film will be presented by the director, Orit Ofir Ronell, and actor Sima Ofir.
Made in 2018, the 74-minute The King of Börek is in Hebrew and Bulgarian with subtitles in English.
The film follows the rise and fall of the Alkolombris – a proud family of Bulgarian bakers that immigrated to the newborn state of Israel, introducing their famous Bourekas pastry.
Their success was rapid, and the family bakery in Jaffa soon became a well-known establishment, drawing crowds from all over the country. This led to the first franchised food chain in Israel – “Sammy Bourekas & Sons”.
Run by the younger generation, Sammy’s two sons and son-in- law, bakeries selling Bourekas popped up all over Israel. Money started to flow, accompanied by an extravagant lifestyle and celeb-status parties with Israeli high-society: politicians, soccer players, actors and models. They even opened an automated Bourekas factory.
“But as the rival siblings began to clash, jealousy, honor and greed began to tear down the family empire,” the description of the film said.
The second screening of the film is on March 10 at 4.45pm at the G8 Cultural Centre, 8 William Gladstone Street.
Tel Aviv on Fire is a Luxemburg-France-Israel-Belgium co-production, made in 2018, with a running time of 95 minutes. It is in Hebrew and Arabic with subtitles in Bulgarian and English.
The film’s description is: “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 check-point, 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 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.”
The screenings are on March 9 at 8pm at Euro Cinema, March 19 at 7.30pm at the G8 Cultural Centre in William Gladstone Street, and on March 22 at 8.30pm at Dom na Kinoto at 7 Exarch Yosif Street.
Tickets can be purchased from the cash desks of the cinemas and online.
