First Run Takes Tribeca Doc “Defamation”

A scene from Yoav Shamir's "Defamation." Image courtesy of the Tribeca Film Festival.

First Run Features has announced its acquisition of Israeli director Yoav Shamir’s “Defamation,” a documentary about anti-Semitisim that premiered at Tribeca last night. 

“This is a brave film that takes on a tough, sensitive subject, and manages to do so in a compelling and entertaining way,” First Run Features president Seymour Wishman said in a statement. “We’re proud to be working with the filmmakers on its release.”

In the doc, Shamir embarks on a quest to answer the question “What is anti-Semitism today?”  “Anti-Semitism is the ultimate ‘sacred cow’ for Jews,” Shamir wrote in a statement. “While I did not set out to slaughter that cow, even the most sacred of cows needs to be shaken up every once in a while.”

“We’re thrilled to be working with First Run Features on “Defamation”‘s distribution,” the film’s producer Sandra Itkoff said in a statement. “They have done wonderful work with some very important films in the past and I know they will help “Defamation” reach its audience and generate some vital conversations.”

“Defamation” will next screen at Toronto’s Hot Docs Canadian International Documentary Festival in May. First Run plans a fall theatrical release.

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