While it may have been released in Israel some time ago, the story of the diverse soccer team that won the 2004 Israel State Cup is having its LA premiere this Friday. The film, ‘After the Cup: Sons of Sakhnin United’ is of course about those who played for the predominantly Arab-Israeli city’s team. It’s quite rare that this “Cinderella story” also comes with such a profound social impact. While far from being Israel’s “miracle on ice,” their championship run captured the hearts of an entire country and showed the strength of Israel’s diverse population.
“To me, this team and the fact that they won this cup, and that the country has kind of been turned on its head, was an amazing way to show the real Israel,” said film producer Michael Cohen, an Englishman who was inspired to document the story of the players of Sakhnin United in the season following their monumental run for a championship.
“The season that we followed was arguably a lot more interesting than the one leading up to them winning the cup,”said Cohen. “All the attention was focused on them, and it became much more of an international story. The challenge was to break through and get people talking about the real issues, which is always very difficult in Israel.”
Check out the official trailer below and see what happens when Arab and Jewish Israelis play on the same side .
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