Tel Aviv on Fire 2019

Salem, portrayed by Kais Nashif, is a Palestinian production assistant working on the popular soap opera Tel Aviv on Fire, set in Ramallah. The series, beloved by both Palestinians and Israelis, tells a gripping tale of a Palestinian spy who finds herself in love with an IDF officer. During one of his daily passes through the checkpoint managed by Yaniv Biton, who plays Asi, Salem discovers Asi’s disdain for the show’s military dialogues, leading Asi to write his own script.

With a stroke of luck, Salem decides to incorporate Asi’s authentic dialogue into the series, much to the delight of the producers and the leading actress, Lubna Azabal, who plays Tala. This unexpected twist propels Salem into the role of a full-time screenwriter — a position he feels woefully unprepared for since he has little experience in screenwriting.

Desperate to avoid losing this newfound opportunity, Salem strikes a bargain with Asi: in return for delicious Palestinian hummus, Asi will help him craft compelling screenplays, agreeing that the show’s climax will involve a wedding. As the season progresses, Salem manages to persuade the producers to feature a wedding as the season finale. However, complications arise when Palestinian investors insist on a darker turn, demanding that the spy detonates a bomb at the wedding, resulting in chaos for all involved, including the IDF officer and his comrades.

In a creative twist, Salem cleverly writes Asi into the show as a character that interrupts the wedding before calamity strikes, thus allowing Tel Aviv on Fire to secure a second season and save his job. Meanwhile, he finds another layer of motivation — to win back his girlfriend, Maryam, played by Maisa Abd Elhadi, who previously expressed doubts about his reliability and job stability. Through humor and heart, Salem navigates the challenges of love and work in a tumultuous yet captivating environment.