Jerusalem Syndrome | Road movie comedy | 87 Min. | 35mm | DVD | Dolby SR |16X9
Written & Directed: Emmanuel Naccache, Stephane Belaisch
Producers: Avi Bohbot, Amir Gedalya, Haim Bouzaglo
Cast: Lionel Abelanski, Dan Herzberg, Liron Levo, Lucy Dubinchek, Roni Hadar, Haim Znati, Albert Iluz, Gala Kogen, Emmanuel Halperin
Release Date: Released in Israel, 27 November 2008
Languages: Hebrew/French. English/French/Hebrew subtitles
Worldwide Distribution: Chaos Films Ltd.
Max Leibovitch is a high ranking official from the French ministry of Finance. Having just arrived in Israel for a very important meeting, he gets sick with the ‘Jerusalem Syndrome’ and begins believing that he is the prophet Jonas. Thus, like the Jonas from the bible, he tries to escape of his holly mission.
At the same time in Tel Aviv, a young Israeli named Avi returns from India to find that his love Ivana, a Russian prostitute working in Igor’s whorehouse in the suburbs of the city, has been sold to another pimp. So, he decides to free her at any cost.
For this purpose, he steals a collective cab, but only too late does he realize that the vehicle is not empty, and he ends up bringing along in his crazy project a colorful troupe of characters: Hadassah, a sexy soldier, shelly, a new age waitress on her way to a love and meditation festival in the desert, Ilan, a religious student from a French yeshiva on a special mission for his “rebbe” and of course the French Jonas.
With the furious Georgian pimp on their trail the passengers connect and bond in an exciting journey. Chased by the mafia, by the police and by the French consul in Israel, their adventure will take them from the Holy City to Tel Aviv, to the sea-shore and finally to the middle of the desert where the adventure will climax in a love and meditation festival.
Emmanuel Naccache and Stephane Belaisch, long-time friends, co-wrote and co-directed “The Syndrome of Jerusalem”. Both of them were born in France and have been living in Israel over the last years. Because the international media only relate Israel to tanks, soldiers and wars, most people don’t know that this small country is rich with an amazing natural environment and breathtaking sceneries that include desert, sea, antique cities and more and that make it a perfect location for a road movie. But more than that, they were inspired by the spirit of freedom so specific to the Israeli youth, the research for love, tolerance, emotion and happiness, which they believe should inspire people all around the world. This is their first movie.
