Chmara – Place Out of Life

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Chmara – Place Out of Life

Chmara (Arabic for alcohol) is a neighborhood coffee house.  There the men of the neighborhood get together to drink, play backgammon and cards, and act the role of armchair philosophers. There are dozens of Chmaras in the market and along the main street of Tel Aviv’s Hatikva neighborhood.  A stranger would have a hard time finding them. Our Chmara serves as a microcosm for life in the neighborhood: Azulai the owner, Gezer who is in the process of receiving sheltered accommodation for the elderly, Yehezkel, who is looking for his girlfriend who disappeared in the Philippines, Uri the “Nigger” – a veteran biker and Jojo, who is still waiting for his house to be renovated. These colorful figures sketch an intimate portrait of an entire neighborhood.

Festivals and Awards:

Best Documentary at the Haifa International Film Festival, Israel, 1999; Israfest, USA, ‏2000; Special Mention at the DocAviv International Film Festival, Israel, 2000

Director: Benny Zada

Producer: Uri Sabag, Einat Bikel

Production Company: Paralite Productions

Cinematographer: Moshe Ben Yaish, Ido Berlad

Editor: Ofer Nezer

Supporter(s): The New Fund for Cinema and Television

Subtitles: English

Film Name in Hebrew: חמארה - מקום ליד החיים

Chmara (Arabic for alcohol) is a neighborhood coffee house.  There the men of the neighborhood get together to drink, play backgammon and cards, and act the role of armchair philosophers. There are dozens of Chmaras in the market and along the main street of Tel Aviv’s Hatikva neighborhood.  A stranger would have a hard time finding them. Our Chmara serves as a microcosm for life in the neighborhood: Azulai the owner, Gezer who is in the process of receiving sheltered accommodation for the elderly, Yehezkel, who is looking for his girlfriend who disappeared in the Philippines, Uri the “Nigger” – a veteran biker and Jojo, who is still waiting for his house to be renovated. These colorful figures sketch an intimate portrait of an entire neighborhood.

Festivals and Awards:

Best Documentary at the Haifa International Film Festival, Israel, 1999; Israfest, USA, ‏2000; Special Mention at the DocAviv International Film Festival, Israel, 2000

 

Director: Benny Zada

Producer: Uri Sabag, Einat Bikel

Production Company: Paralite Productions

Cinematographer: Moshe Ben Yaish, Ido Berlad

Editor: Ofer Nezer

Supporter(s): The New Fund for Cinema and Television

Subtitles: English

Film Name in Hebrew: חמארה - מקום ליד החיים

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