Congratulations to ‘West Bank Story’!

Last night, all of Hollywood got glamed up for the the 79th Annual Academy Awards. After the hours of red carpet interviews and arrival footage, I was a little burnt out before the show even began. Thankfully, Ellen DeGeneres was such a good host that I got back into it after the Mac-commercial-like opening.

As I watched the show, my friends and I were guessing which films would take home the award in each category and keeping score. I’m happy to say that I won the little competition by guessing almost 20 categories correctly. Ironically, after going on a 15-0 winning streak, I incorrectly predicted Babel for Best Picture instead of the winner, Martin Scorcese’s amazing film The Departed. I loved both films, but I’d heard so much buzz about Babel that I was sure it would be the winner. It was still a pleasant surprise that another film I really liked ended up winning.

The glitz and glamor of the major awards weren’t the most impressive moment. For me, the best win was in the Live Action Short Film category where Ari Sandel’s West Bank Story took home the prize. I had the pleasure of seeing this film at the Toofy Film Festival in Boulder this year and I fell in love with it right away. It was smart, incredibly funny and the performances were phenomenal. For those who might not be familiar with the film, it is a hilarious musical about two competing falafel stands in the West Bank. In a new take on West Side Story, David, an Israeli soldier, falls in love with the beautiful Palestinian cashier, Fatima, despite the animosity between their families’ dueling restaurants. It was so fantastic that, right after I saw it, I immediately looked it up online to see where I could see it again. I’d even compare it to the great musical comedies by Trey Parker and Matt Stone. I simply could not have been happier that something this great, and this funny, won an Oscar.

Check it out at westbankstory.com or check out the trailer below: