JIFF: A Burning Man

A Burning Man

“...captures the universal experience of parents yearning to protect a child from outside forces that they cannot control” – Forward

Australian Premiere

This deeply felt road movie about a father and his soldier son explores the deep-seated and complicated anxiety of parents whose children are called to duty in times of war, set against vast, endless stretches of desert.

Yona, a divorced man in his fifties, drives Omer, his son who is just weeks from military discharge, to his base in the desert. The drive gives the two men a rare opportunity to spend quality time together. After a near-wordless farewell, anxiety strikes Yona, who finds himself unable to leave, stuck in place in a parking lot. With Midburn, a colourful desert festival, taking place nearby, Yona encounters a series of visitors – a truck driver, a farmer, a military patrol, and Elinor, a spirited young woman from the Midburn crew. Each encounter reveals a piece of Yona’s inner life: a stalled career, unresolved fears, and an urgent need for connection.

A Burning Man is a story of stillness and unrest, of the personal and political, and of a father confronting his deepest fear in the vastness of the desert.

Festival Appearances/Awards
Haifa International Film Festival 2025 – Best Feature Film, Best Actor (Shai Avivi)

Rating

Unclassified 18+

Duration

103 min

Country

Israel

Language

Hebrew (English subtitles)

Cast

Shai Avivi, Suzanna Papian, Naveh Tzur, Noam Frank, Ran Kaplan, Benny Avni

Director

Eyal Halfon

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