The national selection commission for the Oscars chose “Tel Aviv on Fire” to represent the grand duchy at the ninety-second edition of the Academy Awards, in the international feature film category.

Directed by Sameh Zoabi, and produced by Samsa Film (Bernard Michaux) and TS Productions (France) in co-production with Lama Films (Israel) and Artémis Productions (Belgium), the movie follows Salam, a 30-year-old Palestinian, who interns on the shooting of successful Arab series “Tel Aviv on Fire”. Every morning, he crosses the same roadblock to work in Ramallah. One day, he is interrogated by Assi, an Israeli officer who is a fan of the show. To get out of the interrogation, Salam claims to be the writer. Caught in his own trap, the protagonist must write a scenario that will keep everyone happy.

Filmed 70% in Luxembourg, the film was made in collaboration with several Luxembourg technicians, including Solveig Harper, production director, André Dziezuk, music, Christina Schaffer, set designer, Magdalena Labuz, costume director, Jasmine Schmit, make-up director, Pia Dumont, sound editor, Laurence Rexter-Baker, first assistant director, Patricia Peribañez, set photographer, Tiago Hof, general manager, Eric Nicolas Smit, special effects, Marie Janezic, decoration assistant, Manu Demoulling, props, and Ulrika Debatisse, outdoor manager.

“Tel Aviv on Fire” received its world premiere in September 2018 as an official selection at the 75th edition of the Venice Mostra, where the film won the “Orizzonti Award for Best Actor” for Kais Nashif. It has also won 20 awards, including the Jam Prize for Best Music at the Montpellier Film Festival for the work by composer André Dziezuk.

The Luxembourg premiere took place in March 2019 during the 9th edition of the Luxembourg City Film Festival. The film was released in Luxembourg in April 2019 and is distributed by Cohen Media Group in the United States where it has been screened since 2 August.

Nominations for the “International Feature Film” category of the Academy Awards will be announced in January 2020. The 92nd Oscar ceremony will take place on February 9, 2020.

The last and only time a Luxembourg production has won an Oscar was for “Mr Hublot” in the best animated short film category in 2014.