Synopsis
The First Lebanon War – June, 1982. A lone tank is dispatched to search a hostile town that has already been bombarded by the Israel Air Force. What seems to be a simple mission gets gradually out of control and turns into a death trap, a shivering nightmare.
Shmuel the gunner, Assi the commander, Herzl the loader and Yigal the driver are the tank’s crew. Four boys aged 20 plus who are operating a killing machine. They are not fighters, eager for battle , conquest or self-sacrifice. Entangled in the absurd and unfair war nets they are terrified to death by its horrors. They’re brave kids losing their innocence in the most brutal way and being mentally destroyed . A sharp basic instinct will push them to the limits as they struggle hard to survive in a situation they cannot contain anymore, desperately trying not to lose their humanity amid the chaos of war.
Lebanon is a personal film, a film about four boys who had never been involved in anything violent before and found themselves killing people, A film about survival against a palpable threat of death, a situation in which the conflict between their basic instincts and human conscious claims its victims.
Trailer
Press
“Powerful and original… an astonishing piece of cinema.”
THE NEW YORK TIMES
“Visceral, torn-from-the-memory filmmaking that packs every punch. LEBANON is the boldest and best of the recent mini-wave of Israeli pics (“Beaufort,” “Waltz With Bashir”)."
VARIETY
“A highly personal and intimate portrait of 24 hours in hell. Frighteningly convincing. A tour de force.”
SCREEN INTERNATIONAL
“A wrenching concentration of raw emotion. Disturbing… Powerful… High voltage.”
HOLLYWOOD REPORTER
Festivals
& Awards
Venice International Film Festival
Golden Lion for Best Film
.
New York Film Festival
Vancouver International Film Festival
Pusan International Film Festival
São Paulo International Film Festival
London Film Festival
Thessaloniki International Film Festival
Göteborg International Film Festival
International Film Festival Rotterdam
Belgrade Film Festival
Glasgow Film Festival
Hong Kong International Film Festival
San Francisco International Film Festival
Los Angeles Film Festival
Moscow Film Festival
Karlovy Vary Film Festival
Melbourne International Film Festival
Rio de Janeiro International Film Festival
Cast & Crew
Yoav Donat | |
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Itay Tiran | |
Oshri Cohen | |
Michael Moshonov | |
Zohar Strauss | |
Dudu Tasa | |
Ashraf Barhom | |
Reymonde Amsellem |
Director | Samuel Maoz |
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Scriptwriter | Samuel Maoz |
Producers | Uri Sabag, Einat Bikel, |
Moshe & Leon Edery, | |
David Silber, Benjamina Mirnik, Ilann Girard | |
Associate Producer | Sonja Ewers |
Executive Producer | Gil Sassower |
Line Producer | Meir Tezet |
Director of Photography | Giora Bejach |
Editor | Arik Lahav-Leibovich |
Composer | Nicolas Becker |