Independent Film News
| ISRAELIS AND PALESTINIANS LAUGH TOGETHER AT SCREEN |
| Date Posted: 04/20/2007 07:34 PM Views: 578 |
ISRAELIS AND PALESTINIANS LAUGH TOGETHER AT SCREENING OF
OSCAR-WINNING COMEDY
April 7, 2007 – The Hollywood screening of an Oscar-winning short film about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict drew a full house of Israelis and Palestinians as well as others concerned about the Middle East. And the house was filled with laughter. The short film, West Bank Story, is an unlikely musical comedy that won this year’s Academy Award for Best Short Live Action Film.
An audience of over 300 Angelenos with connections to the Middle East gathered in a Hollywood theater on Saturday night to share concerns. The evening began seriously enough with presentations by several local Middle East peace groups. But as West Bank Story lit the screen, the gathering devolved into laughter. The film is a Middle East take-off on West Side Story, sharing out jabs evenhandedly between rival falafel-stand owners, one Israeli and one, Palestinian.
Following the screening, filmmaker Ari Sandel, and composer Yuval Ron, hosted a lively discussion with the audience. Sandel co-wrote and directed the film as his Masters Thesis project at the University of Southern California (USC). He has shown it all over the world including in Israel and Dubai.
Debbie Kanafani, former Director of International Television Productions for the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation, commented after the screening that she had been hesitant about coming because she felt the situation too tragic to turn into a comedy. However, after seeing the film she said, “I realized how important it is to put some objective distance between ourselves and the conflict. It can help us to come up with solutions.”
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In the opening presentation, Avi Lonstein, Executive Director of the Association for Peace & Understanding in the Middle East (APUME), presented his group’s work. APUME, the sponsoring organization for the evening, is based in Los Angeles and is supported by local Israelis and Palestinians. APUME funds several tolerance programs for school-children in the Middle East designed to reduce violence and increase mutual respect. The APUME programs are based on The Way to Happiness® booklet, written by American educator, L. Ron Hubbard.
Other speakers included Sarfaraz Kahn, Founder and President of Friends of Pakistan, U.S.A., a Pakistani-American friendship group; Lance Miller, President of The Way to Happiness Foundation International, headquartered in Glendale; and Dr. Robby Gordon, an Israeli-American, who is on the Board of Directors of the Al Amal school in the Palestinian West Bank. This is a privately funded school that teaches tolerance and co-existence as part of its core curriculum.
The evening ended with a dessert reception at which Israelis and Palestinians chattered while enjoying chocolate-dipped strawberries, Bavarian Creams and tiny baked apples. They honored the sixth night of Passover with a reception that excluded leavened cookies or cakes -- foods forbidden during this Jewish holiday.
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For more information: http://www.apume.org
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