Sony Pictures Classics has continued its domination of the indie, foreign prestige-circuit this year (read: Cannes films) and has picked up the U.S. rights to “Lebanon,” the big winner of this year’s Venice Film Festival.
Winner of the Golden Lion, the top prize in Venice, the Samuel Maoz directed film is evidently a harrowing military drama, and much like Ari Folman’s “Waltz with Bashir,” it’s based on his personal experiences serving in the Israeli army during the 1982 Lebanon war (SPC put out ‘Bashir’ stateside as well). It’s being compared to “The Hurt Locker,” which is never a bad thing.
There’s no release date for it yet, but it apparently still has time to contend for an Oscar Foreign submission (which generally end in the early Fall of that year), but that’s if it’s Israel’s Oscar entry. The picture will also play here in New York during the NY Film Festival in a few short weeks. We can’t wait to see it.
SPC also picked up TIFF film, “Get Low,” which stars Robert Duvall, Bill Murray, Sissy Spacek and Lucas Black. It’s picked up some steam critically for Duvall’s performance and I believe one of our contribs will deliver a review soon.
Here’s a non-subbed trailer of “Lebanon.” All that’s out there unfortunately.
