Venice Winner “Lebanon” Heads To U.S.

A scene from Samuel Maoz's "Lebanon." Image courtesy of the Venice Film Festival.

Sony Pictures Classics has acquired all US rights to Samuel Moaz’s Israeli film “Lebanon,” winner of the Venice Film Festival’s Golden Lion.  Maoz’s first feature film, it was a co-production between Metro Communications and Ariel Films and produced by David Silber, Ilann Gerard and Benjamina Mirnik. Sony Pictures Classics acquired the film from from Celluloid Dreams. No official plans have been set for the film’s release date, though it will be sometime in 2010.

“‘Lebanon’ is of those important films that will last forever in the marketplace,” said Sony Pictures Classics in a statement. “We are honored to be bringing ‘Lebanon’ to the American public.”

Set almost entirely inside an Israeli tank, “Lebanon” follows four young men set out on a mission in what turns out to be a trip filled with fear, anxiety and ultimately death and the revelation of what makes life worth living. Recently included in the Toronto International Film Festival,  “Lebanon” will also screen at the New York Film Festival.

“This film has been a challenging, but rewarding journey in order to keep the integrity of Samuel Maoz’s vision,” said “Lebanon” producer Ilann Gerard in a statement. “Together with my co producers, Metro communications and Ariel Films, we are thrilled to have Sony Pictures Classics bringing this film to North America audiences and continue to open a marketplace for new Israeli talents.”

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posted on September 21, 2009 |Share