SHORT GRAND PRIX COMPETITION

WORLD PREMIERE

THE TEA BOY OF GAZA

UK, 2006, 38 min., English, Aramaic

Director: Olly Lambert
Producer: Israel Goldvicht
Script: Olly Lambert
Cinematographer: Olly Lambert
Editing: Tal Shefi & Dan Glendenning
Production Company: Raw TV & Goldvicht Productions
Print Source:
Dimitri Doganis
Tel: +44 207 284 6874
Fax: +44 207 284 6873
e-mail: dimitri@rawtelevision.co.uk
www.rawtelevision.co.uk


The Tea Boy of Gaza

Twelve-year-old Mahmoud has a unique position from which to view the fighting between Palestinian factions. He spends his day selling tea to the patients and staff at Al Shifa, the biggest hospital in the Gaza Strip. Sometimes the men buy tea, sometimes they stop Mahmoud from entering the hospital and sometimes they kill one another in the hospital parking lot. Mahmoud is an expert at ducking and weaving between the crowds of doctors, nurses, staff and patients, all the while holding a kettle of hot, sweet tea, and hustling for a sale before it all goes cold. But at the end of the day, the tea’s temperature is the last thing on his mind. Almost every day a fight, complete with gun fire and grenades breaks out and Mahmoud sees it all go down. Though his favorite area to sell in is the maternity ward, where he can often sell out in one visit, he claims to love the chaos of the busier and more dangerous areas of the hospital - the ones that usually have him running for his life. Through the eyes of this charismatic and extraordinary child, filmmaker Olly Lambert provides an insightful and poignant look at everyday life in Gaza following the 2006 elections. The resulting blockades and tension have impacted every facet of Mahmoud’s life, from the price of tea to the very survival of his family.

Olly Lambert was born in London, England in 1972. After studying English Literature at Durham University, he directed a number of theatre productions before moving into documentary filmmaking, working as an Assistant Producer on a number of television documentaries for both Channel 4 and the BBC.
For his first film he was nominated for a BAFTA and the Grierson Award for Best New Director.
Over the next five years, Olly has worked extensively for Channel 4 and the BBC to produce a number of critically acclaimed documentaries. An experienced self-shooter, he was one of the first British directors to embrace digital technology.

Filmography:
Afghanistan: The General's War (2007)
The Tea Boy of Gaza (2006)
The Man Who Lost Himself (2005)
The Hunt for the Camden Ripper (2003)
Battle Hospital (2003)
Hypersex (2002)
Rasputin: Devil in the Flesh (2001)
Four Weeks to Find a Girlfriend (2001)

MONDAY, APRIL 2 AT 1:00 PM./CHOPIN THEATRE

SCREENING WITH BLOCKADE

WEDNESDAY, APRIL 4 AT 6:00 PM./THE WELMETTE THEATRE

SCREENING WITH BLOCKADE

THURSDAY, APRIL 5 AT 5:00 PM./GALLERY THEATRE

SCREENING WITH BLOCKADE

FRIDAY, APRIL 6 AT 7:00 PM./DOC FILMS

SCREENING WITH IN MEMORIAM ALEXANDER LITVINENKO