Despite living legally in Israel for five years, Eritrean refugee Aumari is slated for deportation on a technicality. After ducking immigration authorities at the airport, he becomes the unlikely and very perplexed recipient of a hero’s welcome, courtesy of local football club Maccabi Netanya. Mistaken for an eagerly anticipated Nigerian striker who is supposed to arrive at the same time, Aumari is in an absurd situation. Though completely lacking a fundamental knowledge of the sport, he finds himself the face of the franchise. Caught between his new identity as “Jimmy Mikel,” the nascent star invigorating the team and fanbase, and the refugee with expired papers, Aumari must remain focused on his mission: keeping his identity under wraps long enough to secure safe passage out of the country to reunite with his beloved younger brother.
Nominated for the Israeli Academy Award for Best Film, Running on Sand is a feel-good tale of mistaken identity. Aumari, a young Eritrean refugee in the process of being deported, is mistaken for a professional soccer player being brought to Israel to help save the struggling Maccabi Netanya team. Despite having no soccer experience, he plays along and somehow manages to reinvigorate the floundering squad. Amid their quest for victory, he finds himself falling for the team owner’s daughter and worrying if his true identity will be uncovered. Starring the charismatic Congo-born actor Chancela Mongoza and a group of other African migrant actors, Running on Sand has both humor and heart and sheds light on the challenges faced by refugees.
Official Selection: Atlanta Jewish Film Festival, Haifa International Film Festival
“The movie hits the sweet spot between a truly light-hearted comedy and a real drama, with engaging characters you care about and funny situations, but with a strong narrative and a heartfelt message about treating people with respect, no matter where they are from.” Hannah Brown, The Jerusalem Post
The film centers on Aumari (played by Chansela Mongoza), a young Eritrean refugee living in Israel, who is about to be deported back to his home country. After a spontaneous escape attempt at the airport, he is mistaken for a Nigerian striker of Maccabi Netany football club, who is supposed to arrive at the same time.
Aumari seizes the opportunity and benefits from his new identity as the key acquisitions for the team of Maccabi Netanya. Despite the absence of any soccer talent, he is able to cover-up and heal the divisions of his struggling team, while a tender romantic bond with the charmingly unconventional daughter of the patriarchal team owner is growing. His survival depends on the team’s success.
Atlanta JFF, USA, Official Selection, 2024
Chicago Festival of Israeli Cinema, USA, Official Selection, 2024
Philadelphia Israeli Film Festival, USA, Official Selection, 2024
Director’s Statement
There is no doubt that the refugee problem is a rising global issue, but this subject touched us mostly because of the fact that it didn’t touch us at all. A few years ago, I was working in a fancy 21 story story building just across from one of the tough, immigrant neighborhoods surrounding the central bus station of south Tel Aviv.The dissonance was blatantly obvious from the get go, but honestly, it did not stop the morning espressos from slipping down my throat. The issue felt so far away and our suppression mechanism, just like our advertising firm: worked extra hours. One day, on a cigarette break you over-hear two Eritrean refugees talking about yesterday’s soccer match in broken Hebrew, or when a mother brings her little boy to kindergarten and he insists on ringing the doorbell just like your son, or a young lady with headphones humming Israeli pop off tune, reality sets in. The more you let yourself see them, the less transparent they become. And that’s when you realize you can’t ignore the fact that their deportation means death.
Our story is about belonging. About what is more important: who you are? Or where you were born? For us as Israelis who were all immigrants two generations ago the issue is closer than ever. We chose to access this complex topic in a realistic comedy, that sheds light on the funny and tragic moments in the life of a refugee, combined with the beloved world of soccer, that will allow audiences to experience a full spectrum of emotions: From Looking at Aumari as a “problem” to seeing him as human whom we as a nation must not send him to his death!
The great American comedian Bill Hicks said: “ The best kind of comedy to me is when you make people laugh at things they’ve never laughed at, and also take a light into the darkened corners of people’s minds, exposing them to the light”
