Bombay Beach (0+)
Israel, USA, 2011, colour, 83 min.
Director: Alma Har'el
Director: Alma Har'el
The rusting relic of a failed 1950s development boom, the Salton Sea is a barren Californian landscape often seen as a symbol of the failure of the American Dream. First-time director Alma Har'el visits this poetically fruitful terrain in her distinctive documentary Bombay Beach, and finds there a motley cast including a bipolar seven-year-old, a lovelorn high school football star, and an octogenarian poet-prophet. A Non-fiction film with choreographed dance sequences set to music by Beirut and Bob Dylan that creates a moving and surreal experience—an evocative, symbolic portrait of rural America and its inhabitants.
AWARDS
Best Documentary at Tribeca IFF, Special Jury Mention at Shefield IFF, Best Documentary at Guanajuato IFF
Alma Har'el
Alma Har'el
was born and raised in Tel Aviv. She began her work as a photographer and a video artist. Her live video-art performances with musicians led her to directing music videos and her frequent collaborations with singer Zach Condon of the band Beirut brought her several nominations in festivals around the world. Currently she lives in LA and this is her first film.
FILMOGRAPHY
"Bombay Beach", 2011.
Israel, USA, 2011, colour, 83 min.
Director: Alma Har'el
Director: Alma Har'el
The rusting relic of a failed 1950s development boom, the Salton Sea is a barren Californian landscape often seen as a symbol of the failure of the American Dream. First-time director Alma Har'el visits this poetically fruitful terrain in her distinctive documentary Bombay Beach, and finds there a motley cast including a bipolar seven-year-old, a lovelorn high school football star, and an octogenarian poet-prophet. A Non-fiction film with choreographed dance sequences set to music by Beirut and Bob Dylan that creates a moving and surreal experience—an evocative, symbolic portrait of rural America and its inhabitants.
AWARDS
Best Documentary at Tribeca IFF, Special Jury Mention at Shefield IFF, Best Documentary at Guanajuato IFF