Samuel Maoz Samuel Maoz Samuel Maoz (Hebrew: שמואל מעוז; born c. 1962) is an Israeli film director. His 2009 film, "Lebanon" won the Golden Lion at the 66th Venice International Film Festival. He also won the award for Best Screenplay for Lebanon at the Asia Pacific Screen Awards in 2010. Shmuel (Shmuel) Maoz was born in Tel Aviv. At the age of 20, he was a gunner in one of the first Israeli tanks to enter Lebanon in the 1982 Lebanon War. After the war, he trained as a cameraman at the Beit Zvi theater school, and did art direction in film
65th Venice International Film Festival 65th Venice International Film Festival The 65th annual Venice International Film Festival, held in Venice, Italy, was opened on August 27, 2008, by "Burn After Reading", and closed on September 6, 2008. International competition jury, led by Wim Wenders, awarded Leone d'Oro to "The Wrestler", directed by Darren Aronofsky. 77-year-old Italian film director Ermanno Olmi received a Golden Lion for Lifetime Achievement. The festival opened on August 27, 2008, with the highly anticipated film directed by the Coen brothers, "Burn After Reading". "Burn" is not running in the official competition and thus is ineligible to win any prizes, but reaction