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Ari Sandel's film presents a humorous take on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

By University Communications
February 8, 2008

Alumnus Ari Sandel will visit The University of Arizona next week for a free screening of his film "West Bank Story," which won an Academy Award for best live action short film in 2007.

Sandel, a 1998 UA alumnus who graduated with a degree in media arts and a special certificate in Middle Eastern studies, will be on hand to discuss the film after the screening, scheduled for 12 p.m. Thursday at Gallagher Theater.

“West Bank Story” is a musical comedy set in the fast-paced fast-food world of competing falafel stands on the West Bank. It tells the tale of a budding romance between an Israeli soldier and a Palestinian cashier and their competing family businesses.

The film takes a humorous yet hopeful look at the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Sandel premiered “West Bank Story” at the Sundance Film Festival in 2005 and it has since been screened at over 115 film festivals worldwide – winning a total of 26 awards, plus an overwhelming response from audiences in the U.S. and abroad.

"’West Bank Story’ and its humorous look at Palestinian-Israeli relations provides human insights that can lead to serious discussions and constructive interactions in the quest for harmony between Israelis and Palestinians. We are fortunate to have both the film and the producer here to provide the opportunity for discussion on our campus," said Ed Wright, director of the Arizona Center for Judaic Studies.

Several UA offices, programs, departments and colleges collaborated with the Jewish Federation of Southern Arizona and the UA Hillel Foundation to bring Sandel and his film to campus.

Since graduating from the UA, Sandel has gone on to earn a master's degree in fine arts in directing from the University of Southern California’s School of Cinema-Television. In addition to filmmaking, he has traveled extensively and is very involved with various political organizations promoting peace.

Sandel's career in the entertainment industry includes television, film and music videos. His most recent project, "Vince Vaughn's Wild West Comedy Show: 30 Days & 30 Nights - Hollywood to the Heartland" (2006), was his feature documentary directorial debut and premiered at the 2006 Toronto International Film Festival.

Sandel is currently developing several feature comedies.