Ari Sandel

Ari Sandel is an American filmmaker known for directing the short film West Bank Story, which won an Academy Award.

born 1974Directing West Bank StoryAcademy Award for short filmDirecting The DUFFGoosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween

Born: 5 September 1974, Los Angeles County
Occupation: film director, screenwriter, director
Education: University of Arizona, University of Southern California, USC School of Cinematic Arts

Ari Sandel was born in 1974 in Los Angeles County

Ari Sandel was born on September 5, 1974, and grew up in Calabasas, California. His father, Dan Sandel, is Israeli, and his mother, Kathy, is American. He is Jewish.

He studied media arts at the University of Arizona in Tucson and also earned a certificate in Middle Eastern studies. He then completed an MFA in directing at the University of Southern California's film school.

His short film West Bank Story premiered at the Sundance Film Festival and won the Academy Award for Best Live Action Short Film. In 2006 he directed a documentary about the Wild West Comedy Show, which premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival.

His first feature film, the teen comedy The DUFF, was released in 2015. He then directed Goosebumps 2: Haunted Halloween, which was released in October 2018. In 2024 he and his fiancée Sabine Moestrup had a daughter.