Bringing a slice of Tel Aviv to the Canneseries TV Festival on the French Riviera this week, the writer-director duo of Shir Reuven (“The Electrifiers”) and Talya Lavie (“Zero Motivation”) took inspiration from their own coming-of-age experiences to create the “Sad City Girls” television series.

It all started with a screenplay by Reuven who spent his twenties in Tel Aviv. Her directing partner Lavie spent hers in Jerusalem, but could relate to the experience when she read the script. Soon a creative team was born for the series. The first season will debut later this month on cable channel HOT, which funded the production.

“It was my first time living in a big city. It was breathtaking, ”Reuven recalls of his move to Tel Aviv. “I had read a lot on the news that I had never seen before, like homeless people eating in the garbage.”

Lavie says, “She drew a lot from her own world. Her experience was similar to mine with a good roommate. It’s so big and so terrible at the same time.

“I feel like it doesn’t really matter which city you are in your twenties,” Lavie adds.

Reuven contacted Lavie for a prayer when she applied for funding and was asked who she would like to lead.

“She said I’m so busy, but send it to me. It’s definitely the best thing that has happened to the show and one of the best things that has happened to me. She ended up co-creating, ”said Reuven.

So what makes your 20s so complex?

“Life knocks on your door, and says, ‘Let’s go,’ but I think, and it’s the same with men too, that you’re still a teenager on the inside but you’ve all grown up in it. outside. You can pay taxes, but your soul is still 16 years old. You can do whatever you want. To live alone. Shoplifting. Stay awake all night. Do crazy things. Make mistakes. You are drunk with independence, ”says Reuven.

“Sad City Girls” revolves around two Tel Aviv roommates with different lifestyles. Living together is not only a question of differences but also of unity in the series.

“They’re trying to build a house together,” says Lavie. “One left her parents’ house, or she left it technically but not emotionally. She is very symbiotic with her parents. The other, his parents, have been separated for many years. She spent time on the streets. She’s a survivor, and in a way, she’s looking for a home.

Our grandmothers didn’t have the freedom seen in the show but, also, “I think a lot of women aren’t free in their twenties yet,” Lavie says. “Israel is very diverse. The women in the series are very authentic, secular young women.

How did they work together? “It was like two children were playing. I said I can bring that and she said I can add it. It’s like we have a lot of paint on the canvas to create a season. The whole season tells a story, although each episode has a different vibe. It tells something about our time. It’s an authentic glimpse into our lives, ”says Lavie.

Working as directors in Israel, says Lavie, is similar to elsewhere: “Nowhere in the world has women equal opportunities. In Israel, the cinema is financed in the same way as in Europe. They are forced to create diversity so that more women have a chance. We are doing our job. We practice our art without feeling it every day but look at the numbers. He tells the story. Only 4% of directors are women.

“Sad City Girls” was produced by Yoav Gross Productions. Thanks to Gross, they got through the pandemic. “It was hard on one side. We were in pre-production just before containment. But our producer continued production. Our friends were stuck at home. We really enjoyed doing our job. It saved my sanity, ”says Reuven.