At The Movies With…

Beverly Cohn

Having covered Israel Film Festivals in Los Angeles for decades, I was personally delighted that the Festival, which was postponed for the last two years due to the pandemic and the war in Israel, is back with its 36^th iteration and will run from November 13-26, 2024 with screenings at the Lumiere Music Hall (Beverly Hills), the Laemmle Royal (West Los Angeles) and the Laemmle Town Center (Encino).  This Festival is the largest showcase of Israeli films in North America, encompassing award-winning motion pictures, documentaries, television productions, and student short films.  

Produced by the IsraFest Foundation, Inc., screenings have taken place in Los Angeles, New York, Chicago, and Miami, where over 1,200 films have been introduced to more than one million attendees.  The festival will kick off with an Opening Night Gala on  November 13^th at the beautiful Art Deco Saban Theatre, also home to Rabbi David Baron’s Temple of the Arts.  Mattel Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Ynon Kreiz will be honored with the 2024 IFF Industry Leadership Award, and actor Shaike Levi will receive the IFF Lifetime Achievement Award.

Kim Or Azulay and Chancela Mongoza in Adan Shafran’s Debut film - Running on Sand ~ Photo Courtesy of Firma Films

 At a special pre-festival event held at the Fine Arts Theatre in Beverly Hills, Meir Fenigstein, Founder and Executive Director of the Festival, he addressed the enthusiastic invited audience of sponsors and friends, thanking them for their support. He then treated them to two films: Letter to a Pig, Tal Kantor’s Academy Award nominee for Best Animated Short Film, and Adar Shafran’s compelling feature Running on Sand, my review of which follows.

Poster Courtesy of Firma Films

FILM REVIEW:   

Running on Sand, a debut feature brilliantly directed by Adar Shafran is a most delightful dramedy about mistaken identity and the hilarious actions that ensue.  Congo-born Chancela Mongoza is brilliant in the lead role of Omari, a young Eritrean refugee living and working in Israel as a dishwasher, who is also fluent in Hebrew, which makes for some amusing moments.  Immigration officers pick him up, but despite his pleas for his safety, the judge signs the deportation papers. Running like the wind, as he used to do on the sand at home, he escapes from the hands of the authorities and winds up at the airport where he is mistaken for a Nigerian champion football (soccer) star who has been hired to bolster “Maccabi Netanya,” the struggling Israeli team.  

L-R:  Kim Or Azulay,  Zvika Hadar, & Chancela Mongoza in director Adan Shafran’s debut film  Running on Sand.  Photo Courtesy of Firma Films

The entire group is on hand to greet their hero-to-be.  Adding to the amusement, before long, we see that our “hero” doesn’t play football, but there is a moment at one of the games when running to score a goal was in play, and yes, he ran like the wind, giving the team their first goal in a long time, gaining their love and respect.  Along with the surprising, warm relationships that develop, there are hilarious moments throughout the film while, at the same time, gently exploring the plight of refugees. At its heart, without being “schmaltzy,” is how this non-football player positively impacts the people around him.  Also co-starring is Kim Or Azulay as Neta, who gives a sterling, layered performance as the no-nonsense team manager, and Zvika Hadar as Neta’s father, Shimi, who is the owner but less efficient than his daughter. His one action, however, has severe consequences, but in the end, he redeems himself, giving a little tug at your heartstrings.  Micheal Kabya-Aharoni, as Omari’s best friend Nigel, delivers a heartfelt, complex performance, sub-textually illuminating the pain he’s experienced.

 Winner of the 2024 Palm Springs International Film Festival’s Audience Favorite, the supporting cast adds to the enjoyment of this unique story written by Yoav Hebel, Sarel Piterman, and Assaf Zelicovich. U.S. distribution has not been set up yet, but Running on Sand will be screened again at the November Israel Film Festival, so do watch for this entertaining, beautifully shot film.

Directed by:  Adar Shafran

Written by:  Yoav Hebel, Sarel Piterman & Assaf Zelicovich

Starring: Chancela Mongoza, Kim Or Azulay, Zvika Hadar,

& Micheal Kabya-Aharoni

Studios: Firma Films, United King Films, & Rommel Films

Produced by: Roni Abramowsky,  Moshe Edery, Peter Rommel,

& Adar Shafran

Cinematographer:  Daniel Miller

Edited by:  Arik Lahav-Leibovich

Music by Ran Bagno

Sound:  Yonatan Englender, Nin Hazan

Running Time:  104 Minutes

Release Date:  To be determined  

Languages:  English, Hebrew, Tigrinya

Subtitles:  English