Heat wave is a drama/black comedy that takes place in Jerusalem during an unusually hot summer. The film tells the stories of five people who are going through an exceptional period of their life.

Abu Khalil, an old shopkeeper has one mission to accomplish before he dies: to buy a grave near Alaqsa mosque. Despite all his planning, he ends up being buried in the family cemetery.
Lilian, one of Abu Khalil’s customers and an old love, desperately wants to connect to her son who died in a mysterious accident when he was a child. One night she encounters a saint in the empty streets. He carries her groceries and helps her get in touch with her son.
Hassan, a young man who works for Abu Khalil, discovers that he can only marry his fiancée after he fulfills his mother’s will: he has to go to Hajj on her behalf.

Faris on the verge of getting divorced and having an affair has to deal with his new neighbor, Mayer, who just moved from New York. Mayer, while renovating his new house, falls through the wall into Faris’ house. Frustrated because of the political situation and his personal problems, Faris ends up holding Mayer captive in his house, not knowing why.
During this hot weather; things reach an unexpected turning point for each of the characters.

Heat Wave is a 90 minutes satirical comedy where reality is presented in an exaggerated fashion. As the name of the title implies, the whole film will take place during a summer heat wave, so we will see the effect of the high temperatures on the people and how they respond to this unusual summer. It will look at how heat affects their behavior, their surroundings and their relations with others.

Heat Wave is inspired by my experience and memories as a Palestinian born three years after the 1967 war, in a city under occupation. I did not understand what it meant to have a foreign army control our city, until one day in the early eighties when my older brother and I where entering the Damascus gate, and my brother got slapped by an Israeli soldier. I don’t remember why and how but later that day we laughed about it. We found it funny because it was a hot summer day and demeanor had been languid and the slap was so sudden that my brother did not see it coming.

In this film, I see Jerusalem, which is known for its seriousness, religious fanaticism and political upheaval, as a source of laughter. It often happens that moments of laughter can arise from serious situations and what more can one ask for than Jerusalem as a setting for these scenarios. The city inhabits many different religions and cultures that include Muslims, Christians, Jews, Armenians, Black Africans and Gypsies. Jerusalem has been at the center of negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis and a resolution for the city is a major element for there to be a lasting solution. But while a solution continues to be negotiated, the inhabitants live their daily lives and some have come to believe that a resolution may never be found.

It is from the reality of everyday life in Jerusalem that I got the inspiration for this film. The stories of the characters from the film are all inspired in some way by accounts and memories of people who live in the city. The film is based on the multilayered plot lines of five main characters. Although the stories of each character are not linked, the parallelism amongst them will be created in the way the film is edited so that their different lives are interwoven to create one story. We will also use editing to emphasize the comedic aspect of the film, to highlight the characters’ dilemmas and bring humor into situations.

In general, the style of the film will have a humoristic approach, with all that it carries along with it in terms of mise-en-scène. It also will stick to the basic comedy rules of exaggeration, repetition and surprises.