"Ajami" depicts the brutal life of drugs, violence and poverty in a mixed Jewish-Arab neighborhood in the Mediterranean city of Jaffa. It was nominated for best foreign-language film.
Scandar Copti directed the film along with a Jewish-Israeli partner, Yaron Shani. Copti has been critical of Israel's policies toward its Arab minority, which makes up about one-fifth of Israel's population of 7 million citizens.
Israel's Arabs, unlike Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza, enjoy the benefits of Israeli citizenship. However, they frequently suffer discrimination in housing and job opportunities, and their communities often receive less in government funds than Jewish towns. Two of Copti's brothers were recently arrested for scuffling with police.
Ahead of Sunday's ceremony in Los Angeles, Copti told Israel's Channel 2 TV that while the film is technically Israeli because it received government funding, he does not see himself as an emissary for Israel. "I can't represent a country that doesn't represent me," he said.
