Written by
Chiara Onger

 

 

An Oscar night full of surprises saw the award for best short subject go to the musical comedy “West Bank Story” by Ari Sandel, a California director with an American mother and an Israeli father. The score is by Yuval Ron, an Israeli composer who lives in Los Angeles, who combined Arabic and Israeli musical styles with jazz. “Oh my god!” said the director as he held the statue, explaining that he had wanted to make a “film about peace and hope.”

An Unlikely Love. The story is set in the West Bank, but isn’t about the gun battles, death, or terror attacks that fill the daily papers. Instead it tells of the unlikely love affair between an Israeli soldier and a sweet-natured Palestinian cashier, and the rivalry between their families, each of which runs a food stand, one selling falafel and the other, hummus. The power of love leads to the destruction of both the Kosher King and the Hummus Hut, but finally the two families unite to meet the overwhelming demand for their products from local inhabitants.

 Points of View. During an interview with the leading daily Haaretz, director Sandel, an activist for Peace Now, affirmed that he has always been interested in politics, especially the “Middle East Conflict,” visiting Israel, Palestine, and Turkey, and watching “about 100” documentaries on the subject, which provided a lot of precious information but only a partial view of the reality. That’s why he decided to create a musical to represent both the Israeli and the Palestinian viewpoints.

Laughter for Peace. The director explains that music and songs “make the subject more accessible,” and that it’s far easier to watch Jews and Arabs dance than shoot one another. He added, “I wanted the film to do three things: attract attention, make people laugh, and present a balanced position in favor of peace.” His noble goals allowed Sandel to make a film that captured the attention not only of the Academy jury, but led to invitations from twenty-three film festivals.