Falafel Cart is a 2019 animated short drama film produced by RoyalTales and directed by Abdullah Al-Wazzan with an original score by Dan Phillipson and sound design by Andrew Vernon. The short blends stop motion animation with traditional and some computer animation. In 2019, the film was submitted for the 2020 Academy Award for Best Animated Short Film making it Kuwait's first short film to ever be submitted to the Academy Awards.
In 2020, the film earned an official selection at the Hiroshima International Animation Festival and received a special mention as "best of the world". In 2021, the film won best animated short at the Burbank International Film Festival. In 2019, the film won best international short film at the Los Angeles Animation Festival.
Plot During a stormy night, an immigrant falafel vendor who lives in his cart in the middle of nowhere stumbles upon a mysterious flower. The extraordinary encounter sparks something within him and eventually makes him relive scenes from his past life.
Production The film was inspired by the ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, highlighting the impact on people who are merely seeking a better life. The theme of the falafel, a typical food of the Levant, represents the notion of home and serves as a symbolic reminder that reconnects the main character with his far-away home. The project first came to life after Al-Wazzan started to experiment with a different form of animation that employed a combination of stop-motion, computer generated animation, claymation and traditional animation. The filmmaker animated the film, built and painted hundreds of models, puppets, and backgrounds in a span of three years.
Release Falafel Cart first premiered theatrically in Los Angeles, California on September 13, 2019. In 2021 ShortsTV obtained non exclusive distribution rights to the film for release on its live channels and streaming platforms. On September 11, 2021, the film screened at AMC Theatres in Burbank as part of the Burbank International Film Festival. +List of release dates and screenings for Falafel CartRelease dateCountryEventNotes13 September 2019United StatesTheatrical releaseWorld Premier8 December 2019United StatesLos Angeles Animation Festival14 December 2019United StatesPalm Springs International Animation FestivalMarch 2020GreeceAthens Animfest4 March 2020United StatesDC Independent Film Festival30 July 2020United StatesSonoma International Film Festival2 August 2020United KingdomThe Animator Showcase13 August 2020United StatesHollyshorts20 August 2020JapanHiroshima International Animation Festival15 October 2020United KingdomSouthampton International Film Festival23 October 2020MoroccoRabat International Author Film Festival18 November 2020CanadaAnimaze Montreal International Film Festival18 November 2020QatarAjyal Film Festival3 July 2021FranceParis International Animation Film Festival9 September 2021United StatesBurbank International Film Festival7 April 2022KuwaitLimited theatrical release21 December 2022SwedenLimited In 2014, A different concept version of Falafel Cart participated at the 67th Cannes Film Festival, was officially selected at the 11th Dubai International Film Festival and was nominated at the International Children's Film Festival in the UAE. This early version was re-worked as a new project to become the final 2019 animated film.
Awards & Accolades The film received the following awards and nominations: + List of accolades received by Falafel Cart Year Country Event Category Recipients and nominees Result 2019 United States Palm Springs International Animation Festival In Competition Best Animated ShortAbdullah Al-Wazzan Los Angeles Animation Festival Best International Short Film 2020 DC Independent Film Festival Short Animation Finalist 2020 United KingdomSouthampton International Film FestivalBest Animated Short FilmBest Director of an Animated Film2020JapanHiroshima International Animation FestivalBest of the WorldHonorable Mention2020QatarAjyal Film FestivalHilal Short Film Competition 2021FranceParis International Animation Film FestivalHorizons Competition 2021United StatesBurbank International Film FestivalBest Animated Short
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