By Corinne Heller

Feb 22, 2008
(c) 2008 Ynet News Israel

BEVERLY HILLS, California - With some jet-lag after a 17-hour-long flight, members of the Israeli entourage of “Beaufort” arrived in Los Angeles on Thursday to drink some wine and celebrate at a fancy Beverly Hills mansion, once owned by the man who played the Tin Man in the classic film “The Wizard of Oz”.

Despite not knowing what will happen at Sunday’s Oscars ceremony, Eli Eltonio knows he is not in Kansas anymore and had prepared himself for this visit well.

“My agent is organizing all kinds of meetings with local agents and she will continue facilitating them after we return to Israel,” Eltonio told Ynet, adding that he wants to one day land a “role in a movie with a large budget.”

“Anything that has a really large budget has enough to allow art to exist in full,” Eltonio said. “Many times, what happens in Israel, is that there are amazing scripts and there are amazing directors and there are amazing producers. The thing is, there is no budget. Therefore, the ability to express the script full decreases.”

“I really have no dream role,” he added. “I really like the point of receiving a script, studying it until the point where I make my decision to take the role.”

“Beaufort”’s other star, Oshri Cohen, is not making long-term plans.

“I do not know where the wind will take me, I don’t know how it’s going to happen or what will happen, but everything will happen with the help of gravity,” Cohen said. “Good things will happen. I am not running after them.”

Dozens of guests and reporters filled the patio, covered by a plastic tarp to keep out light rain. Almost everyone tried, rather unsuccessfully, to maneuver through the waiters carrying mini pizzas, tables with mountains of sushi, caviar and wine, and several photographers – all to win a few words with “Beaufort” director Joseph Cedar.

But Cedar refused to “talk business” and ignored reporters. Tonight is his night and, if you want to judge by the royal treatment he is receiving from his guests, which include Americans, Britons and Israelis, it seems he has already won his prize.

Cedar had said in earlier interviews that he believes “Beaufort” will take home the big award. Eltonio agreed.

“It’s not a matter of forecast, it’s something very small and sentimental, and I believe we will win,” Eltonio said. “I have that feeling.”

Cohen said he knew during the filming of “Beaufort” that the film would turn out to be something great.

“I gave everything and all my soul,” he said. “We knew it was big enough to go very, very far. We didn’t know how far, but when you aim for the moon, in the best-case scenario, you hit the stars. But that’s where we ended up – the moon.”

“I am happy I proved to myself personally that the higher you dream, the farther you go,” Cohen said. “You prove yourself over and over again and now I know I proved it to myself finally. I will continue to dream and to fantasize about moments even bigger than this.”