The Israeli film “Lebanon” won two awards at the European Film Awards two weeks ago.
Based on director Samuel Maoz’ memories as a tank gunner in the 1982 Lebanon War, the film won the Discovery Award for the director and an award for cinematography at the awards ceremony in Tallinn, Estonia, on Dec. 4.
“Lebanon” takes place almost entirely in the inside of a tank. The movie, which was shown in U.S. theaters last summer, also took the top prize, the Golden Lion, at the Venice Film Festival.
Polish director Roman Polanski, whose father was Jewish, took the best film prize at the awards for his movie “The Ghost Writer,” the story of a journalist writing the memoirs of a British prime minister. His film won five other prizes, including best director, best actor for Ewan McGregor and best screenwriter. — jta