What appears to be a regular bar is so much more. "Blues by the Beach" independent documentary that documents the lively scene at Mike's Place: there's music, dancing, drinking and there's a visible variety of people. Set in Tel Aviv, patrons of the bar are Israelis, Europeans, Americans and Arabs. In 2003, Jack Baxter and Joshua Faudem were making the film project, which had been focusing on the sliver of normalcy set amidst a region of terror. Portraits of individuals were captured on film, and each individual represented a relatable fixture for the audience. Partway through filming, a suicide bomber tore the sliver of normalcy apart, injuring many and killing three. “Blues By The Beach” film captures a poignant reality about life in the Middle East.
The documentary is unique in that it captures the suicide bombing before it happens: the people involved are more than just anonymous names in a news report, but are real individuals whose stories bare likenesses to us or to our friends. The story starts happily and familiarly, until the arrival of two British nationals who want to carry out a suicide bombing at Mike’s Place. The Joshua Faudem film continues on, as the shock subsides into confusion and then into grief. The movie provides stories to go with the names and faces shown in the news reports. Check out the free movie trailer of "Blues by the Beach" on this site.
This story isn't made up. The documentary started as a project to shine light onto a less scary, more familiar side of life in Tel Aviv, and how individuals from all sorts of backgrounds come together. "Blues by the Beach" is an important film that everyone must see: terrorism can happen to anyone at any time in any place.
