The Band's Visit

Israel, 2007, 90 min, 35 MM
In Hebrew / Arabic / English with English subtitles

DIR/SCR: Eran Kolirin

This audience-pleasing sensation of Cannes’ Un Certain Regard and winner of eight Israeli Oscars follows the comic plight of the Alexandrian Police Orchestra. These eight slightly bewildered Egyptian officers, after getting lost at the airport, arrive in a remote, slightly empty Israeli village, their powder-blue uniforms standing out against the desert landscape. Fortunately, they connect with Dina, a ballsy, sexy café owner (Ronit Elkabetz, three-time winner of the Israeli Oscar), who helps them find lodging for the night. In the very first images of his first theatrical film, writer-director Elan Kolirin displays a mastery of low-key deadpan visual humor in the manner of Tati and Jarmusch. By the movie’s second half, however, he pushes boundaries as several of the characters unexpectedly confront what one refers to as “tons of loneliness.” With its precise portions of tact, irony and sweetness, Director Eran Kolirin’s film gives ‘humanist cinema’ a good name, and offers yet another example of the resurgence of Israel's vibrant, provocative and increasingly varied film culture.

This screening is part of the American Film Institute (AFI) Film Festival 2007.   For details on the festival and tickets visit www.afi.com