The Band's Visit

Playing in Bay Area theatres:
February 15 - May 15, 2008 (Might be extended)

Special SVJFF screening:
Sunday, February 17, 2008

The Alexandria Ceremonial Police Orchestra arrives in Israel to play at the opening of an Arab Cultural Center. Dressed in full regalia and observing all military police protocol, the members of the orchestra are at a pivotal time in their careers. It's not just the political nature of an Arab military police band playing traditional Arab music in Israel that makes this event so important; budget cuts and many reorganizations have threatened the continued existence of the Orchestra. Faced with the heavy burden of this assignment, the stoic conductor Tewfiq (Sasson Gabai) is determined not to foul their excursion. Despite all Tewfiq's efforts, it's not long before problems arise. The band arrives at the airport with no one there to greet them. Stranded and unable able to contact their Israeli hosts or the Egyptian consulate for help, Tewfiq decides that the Orchestra will persevere with its assignment and orders, and chooses Khaled, a suave young ladies man (Saleh Bakri), to ask for directions. Khaled and the station agent struggle in English, Arabic and Hebrew to communicate, but despite their best efforts, the Orchestra is sent to the outskirts of a small forgotten Israeli town in the desert.

Born in 1973, filmmaker Eran Kolirin’s first work for cinema was the screenplay for the film Zur – Hadassi, for which he won the “Lipper Prize” for best screenplay at the Jerusalem International Film Festival, 1999. In 2004, Eran Kolirin wrote and directed The Long Journey, a film made for television.

THE BAND'S VISIT, a lively comedy, runs 89 minutes, is in Arabic, English and Hebrew with English subtitles and is MPAA rated PG-13 for brief strong language.

Watch the preview at: http://www.sonyclassics.com/thebandsvisit

NOW PLAYING
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Alameda County
--- Shattuck Cinemas 2:30 - 4:45 - 7:05 - 9:15

Sunday, February 17, 2008 - 7:00 pm

Camera 7 Theatre
Pruneyard Shopping Center
1875 S. Bascom Avenue, Campbell - map
www.svjff.org
(408) 357-7492

$5
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