Talkback following the film

Director: Adar Shafran
2023, Israel, 104 minutes
Hebrew, English, & Tigrinya with English subtitles
Feature

Ticket Price: $15

Aumari, a young Eritrean refugee living in Israel, is about to be deported. At the airport, he is mistaken for Maccabi Netanya’s new star player from Nigeria. Despite having no soccer skills, Aumari seizes the opportunity and finds himself lifting up the floundering team while bonding with the team’s female CEO. Nominated for four Ophir Awards (Israel’s Oscars), including Best Film, and winning the Audience Award at both the Palm Springs International Film Festival and the Boca International Jewish Film Festival, Running on Sand combines Ted Lasso-style humor with an empathic depiction of refugees’ struggles, shedding light on the unseen and unheard in Israeli society.

Co-sponsored by Lonye & Stephen Rasch, Richard & Effy Weisfield, and Congregation Beth El