Lebanon (2009 film) date. Maoz says many Israeli figures were against "Lebanon" even being featured at the Venice International Film Festival. The Venice jury was chaired by Ang Lee, who had won the Golden Lion award in Venice in 2005 with "Brokeback Mountain" and in 2007 with "Lust, Caution". "Lebanon" competed against 24 other entries. The win in Venice caused a boost in the film's popularity at the Toronto International Film Festival. "The New York Times" described "Lebanon" as "an astonishing piece of cinema". "Variety" magazine said "Lebanon" is "the boldest and best" of recent Israeli films based upon the Lebanon wars. Lebanon
The Golden Era (film) the festival's closing film. Hui's previous full-length directorial feature, "A Simple Life", also premiered at the Venice Film Festival in 2011, where it competed for the Golden Lion. Shortly after its world premiere, "The Golden Era" made its North American premiere at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival, placed under the Masters category and distributed by China Lion Film Distribution Inc. The film continued to appear in other festivals, including the 27th Tokyo International Film Festival while making its first public release on October 1, 2014 in China. On October 17, 2014, "The Golden Era" was released in the U.S.