Directed by Eyal Sagui Bizawe, and Sara Tsifroni
Back in the day, when there were only a few television channels to choose from and when Israel and Egypt were at war, families across Israel would gather in their homes on Friday nights to watch old Arab-language classics. How did Israeli television obtain these films? Why were they shown? This unexpected documentary brings us the stars, the stories, and takes us directly into living rooms brimming with nostalgia.
Eyal Sagui Bizawe
Eyal has an MA in Cultural Studies from the Hebrew University, Jerusalem. He lectures at Bezalel Academy of Arts and Design, at Sapir College in Sderot and Minshar School of Art in Tel Aviv. His Column “Relevant” is published in the Gallery supplement of the Haaretz daily newspaper. Eyal is also a researcher and content editor for television and documentary projects since 2001. A selection includes: Arabesque (documentary show, Channel 1 in Arabic, 2001); The New Israelis (Briza,2002); Israeli Sex (documentary series, channel 8, 2003) Blonde (documentary series, Channel 8, 2004); Maktub (documentary film,channel 2, 2006) The Food of the Earth (documentary series, Channel 8, 2008). Director of 2 short films for cultural program Intimate Report on Channel 2. Arabic Movie (2015) is his debut film.
Sara Tsifroni
Sara is an M.A in Sociology and Anthropology from TLVU (2005), an award-winning researcher (Last Stop, Docaviv 2014), and founder of Cinema North – a forum that supports filmmakers from the northern periphery in Israel. Sara worked as a journalist and news reporter for several leading newspapers. Since 1998, she was a researcher and a content editor on the Channel 2 Morning show and on several documentary projects led and directed by top television journalists and documentarists in Israel. A selection includes: The Battle for Home (documentary film on Israel withdrawal from the Gaza strip, channel 2, 2005); About Drugs (a documentary Series, Yes, 2008); To The End of the world (a documentary Series, channel 2, 2008); Suites Us Well (a documentary Series, Channel 10, 2009) Black and White Film (a documentary series on “Bourikas” genre, Hot , 2012) Secrets of the lost Treasures (a documentary film, Yes 2013) Last Stop (a documentary film, Yes 2014). Arabic Movie (2015) is her debut film.