An award-winning Israeli film about the Israeli army’s withdrawal from southern Lebanon in 2000 is about to open in the United States.
U.S. distribution rights for “Beaufort” were sold to New York-based Kino International, it was announced Tuesday in Berlin by the German distributor Bavaria Film International. The film’s director, Joseph Cedar, won the top director’s prize at the 2007 Berlin International Film Festival.
Producers of the film, which was released in Israel in March, said “Beaufort” is the fastest-grossing Israeli feature in 20 years. The film is an adaptation of the novel of the same name by award-winning journalist Ron Leshem. It is is based on events that occurred at the iconic Beaufort Castle in southern Lebanon in the months before the withdrawal of Israeli troops in 2000. The film is likely to be Israel’s official Oscar nominee.
