Young local filmmaker hits Oscar pay dirt.
By Kim Devore / Staff Writer
Local filmmaker Ari Sandel woke up Monday morning with a claim to fame that not even Steven Spielberg could make. He went from being a grad student with a school film project to being an Oscar winner almost overnight. On Sunday, at the 79th Annual Academy Awards, Sandel received the industry’s ultimate prize for best live action short.
His film “West Bank Story” began as part of his master’s degree program at USC’s school of cinema and television and is a takeoff of the 1961 classic “West Side Story.”
The film is a musical comedy about David, an Israeli soldier, and Fatima, a Palestinian fast food cashier. The two fall in love despite their families’ animosity over their dueling falafel stands, the Kosher King and the Hummus Hut.
A hit from the start, Sandel’s 21-minute production began to take on a life of its own with screenings in 112 festivals around the world. It received numerous honors on the festival circuit including one from the Malibu Film Festival in 2005. Sandel said he thought recognition at Sundance was the icing on the cake, but “never expected anything like this.”
Yet, there he was making his acceptance speech before a global audience, which included his proud parents.
“I made a comedy musical about Israelis and Palestinians that takes place between two falafel stands in the West Bank. It’s a movie about peace and about hope,” he said with amazing composure. “To be able to get this award just goes to show that there are so many other people out there who support the notion that the situation between the Israelis and the Palestinians is not hopeless.”
The film was shot on a ranch in Santa Clarita, Calif. with a small cast that included his dad, Point Dume resident Dan Sandel, step-mom Lori and his three sisters Tali, Maya and Lee.
In his acceptance speech, Sandel recognized the co-writer, producers and a composer who helped make his film award worthy.
He saved the best for last saying he wanted to thank “the two people who never doubted me even when I doubted myself, my mother who’s here in the audience, Kathy, and my father, Dan, who’s watching. I love you.”
The young filmmaker said he’s now in the process of developing several comedies.