When a band of eight Egyptian musicians arrives by mistake in a small town in Israel’s Negev Desert, they stop at a restaurant owned by Dina (the late and great ASF Pomegranate Award Honoree, Ronit Elkabetz), who offers them lodging. Now an award-winning Broadway musical, this classic is both a clever, subtle slice-of-life comedy, and poignant cross-cultural exploration.
Eran Kolirin
Eran Kolirin (born 4 November 1973) is an Israeli screenwriter and film director.
In 2004 he directed the feature-length television drama The Long Journey. His cinema directorial debut, The Band’s Visit (2007), was a critical success, winning eight Awards of the Israeli Film Academy and prizes at several international film festivals. Kolirin himself won the Israeli Film Academy’s awards for Best Director and Best Screenplay.
His second film, The Exchange, was in competition at the 68th Venice International Film Festival in September 2011.
His next film Beyond the Mountains and Hills was selected to be screened in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. It was screened in film festivals around the world, winning several awards, including Best Feature Film at the 2016 UK Jewish Film Festival.