Not much to report today. I spent much of my time this morning preparing for the days ahead. I have a spate of interviews scheduled, beginning tomorrow evening, some with critics from Ha’Aretz newspaper, one with a Hebrew University professor, and another with a filmmaker.

I did find a little time, however, to walk around Jerusalem. I explored a neighborhood known as the Russian Compound, which struck me as typical of this metropolis of some 700,000 people: The traffic moves briskly along the main thoroughfares, and here and there a pedestrian market street connects them, sometimes leading to a square such as this one:

The highlight of the day was this evening’s screening of The Band’s Visit by Israeli writer/director Eran Kolirin. This film has played in theaters around the world already, including a short run at Merrill’s Roxy Cinema in Burlington, but I was unable to see it until tonight.

The story involves a police orchestra from Alexandria, Egypt, who get lost on a trip to Israel, where they are to play at an inauguration ceremony for a new Arab cultural center. Way off track and running short on time and NIS (New Israeli Shekels), they must humbly ask for assistance from a group of Israelis. As events play out over the course of a night, the kindness is exchanged in both directions. Here’s a link to the Internet Movie Database (imdb.com) trailer.

Tonight’s screening was held at an outdoor venue across the street from my hotel, and the Israeli rock band Hatavlinim warmed up the show. Of course, the setting made the film especially memorable, but its poignancy, sweetness, and subtle humor might just put The Band's Visit in my top 10. I need to sleep on that.

In the morning, I anticipate a reunion with the ubiquitous Jerusalem salad, aka Arab salad, aka cucumbers and tomatoes with a dash of mint. Then it’s some tourism and back to the movies—I mean, back to work. This is a business trip, after all.