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
69th Venice International Film Festival 69th Venice International Film Festival The 69th annual Venice International Film Festival, organized by Venice Biennale, took place at Venice Lido from 29 August to 8 September 2012. The festival opened with the Indian director Mira Nair's "The Reluctant Fundamentalist", and closed with the Out of Competition film "The Man Who Laughs", directed by Jean-Pierre Ameris. Terrence Malick's film "To the Wonder" was met with both boos and cheers from critics at its premiere. The Golden Lion for Best Film was won by "Pietà", directed by South Korean filmmaker Kim Ki-duk. Paul Thomas Anderson for "The Master" won the Silver