“This open-ended portrait of Israeli society brings an array of entertaining actors together to talk, sing, harass and comfort each other aboard a means
of public transportation that becomes a homey metaphor for the state
of the country.”
— Deborah Young, The Hollywood Reporter
“Graceful [and] charming”
— George Robinson, The Jewish Week
— George Robinson, The Jewish Week
THIS SEPTEMBER, BOARD AMOS GITAI’S SLICE-OF-LIFE, MULTI-CULTURAL DRAMEDY FOR A JOURNEY EXPLORING JEWISH AND PALESTINIAN LIFE ON THE CITY’S
LIGHT RAIL LINE
A TRAMWAY IN JERUSALEM
Street Date: September 15, 2020
DVD/Digital: $24.95
From Israel’s Most Celebrated Director Comes This Official Selection
of the Venice Film Festival With an Ensemble Cast Featuring Mathieu Amalric and Hana Laslo; the DVD Includes the Bonus Short Film
“A Letter to a Friend in Gaza” by Gitai
SYNOPSIS
The Light Rail Red Line of Jerusalem’s tramway connects the city from east to west, from the Palestinian neighborhoods of Shuafat and Beit Hanina to Mount Herzl — a journey that comprises the culturally complex makeup of the city.
In Amos Gitai’s humorous and touching A TRAMWAY IN JERUSALEM, featuring a talented ensemble cast including Mathieu Amalric (An Officer and a Spy, The Grand Budapest Hotel, Never Ever) and Hana Laslo (Nevsu, Free Zone), the dramedy hinges on a series of encounters along the line: simple, mundane interactions that reveal the diverse mosaic of humanity that exists in the spiritual center of Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. There’s a skilled oud player who weaves a spell on two French tourists, two young women – one Palestinian, one Jewish – who bond on the platform, a tired Palestinian worker wrongfully accused of harassment and a group of Hassidic men, chanting a religious chorus together. While traveling across this vibrant city, the small conflicts and reconciliations of everyday life – heard in an impressive array of languages including Hebrew, Arabic, French, Italian, Yiddish, German and Ladino — provide a kernel of hope in a society so often divided by political boundaries.
BONUS FEATURES
- Bonus Short Film – A Letter to a Friend in Gaza ( Directed by Amos Gitai | Israel | Hebrew with English subtitles | 35 minutes) — An exploration of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict through
the reading of texts by Albert Camus and other important thinkers and writers. This short film played alongside A TRAMWAY IN JERUSALEM at the Venice Film Festival.
PROGRAM INFORMATION
Type: DVD/Digital (iTunes, Amazon, Vudu)
Running Time: 94 minutes
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen
Audio: 5.1 Surround Sound/2.0 Stereo
Language: Hebrew, Arabic, French, Italian, Yiddish, German, Ladino with English subtitles
About Film Movement
Founded in 2002, Film Movement is a North American distributor of award-winning independent and foreign films based in New York City. It has released more than 250 feature films and shorts culled from prestigious film festivals worldwide including the Oscar-nominated films Theeb (2016) and Corpus Christi (2020). Film Movement’s theatrical releases include American independent films, documentaries, and foreign art house titles. Its catalog includes titles by directors such as Hirokazu Kore-eda, Maren Ade, Jessica Hausner, Andrei Konchalovsky, Andrzej Wajda, Diane Kurys, Ciro Guerra and Melanie Laurent. In 2015, Film Movement launched its reissue label Film Movement Classics, featuring new restorations released theatrically as well as on Blu-ray and DVD, including films by such noted directors as Eric Rohmer, Peter Greenaway, Bille August, Marleen Gorris, Takeshi Kitano, Arturo Ripstein, King Hu, Sergio Corbucci, Ettore Scola and Luchino Visconti. For more information, please visit www.filmmovement.com. Visit www.filmmovementplus.com for more information about Film Movement Plus, the new subscription streaming service from Film Movement.
