Showtime has released an official trailer for Ghosts of Beirut, a four-part spy drama that revisits the true-life manhunt for the deadly Hezbollah mastermind Imad Mughniyeh, who killed more Americans than any other terrorist before 9/11 as he eluded the CIA and Mossad for over two decades.
“You push the button, and go to Paradise,” a voice-over in Arabic says at one point in the limited series trailer, as Mughniyeh, also known as the Ghost and played by Hisham Suleiman, sets up more deadly terrorist strikes.
The heart-pounding thriller comes from Fauda creators Avi Issacharoff and Lior Raz and will stream on Showtime May 19 before making its on-air debut May 21. The trailer has a pulsing score and explosive action sequences as Ghosts of Beirut spans decades and weaves in first-hand, real-life interviews with officials from the CIA and Mossad to connect the turmoil of 1980s Beirut with the spy games of the modern Middle East.
“You push the button, and go to Paradise,” a voice-over in Arabic says at one point in the limited series trailer, as Mughniyeh, also known as the Ghost and played by Hisham Suleiman, sets up more deadly terrorist strikes.
The heart-pounding thriller comes from Fauda creators Avi Issacharoff and Lior Raz and will stream on Showtime May 19 before making its on-air debut May 21. The trailer has a pulsing score and explosive action sequences as Ghosts of Beirut spans decades and weaves in first-hand, real-life interviews with officials from the CIA and Mossad to connect the turmoil of 1980s Beirut with the spy games of the modern Middle East.
- 4/19/2023
- by Etan Vlessing
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Showtime has announced its forthcoming spy drama, “Ghosts of Beirut,” will make its debut on Friday, May 19, on Showtime’s streaming site and will air on linear on May 21 at 10 p.m. Et/Pt.
The four-part limited series tells the origin story of 21-year old Mughniyeh (who is also referred to as “The Ghost”), an elusive Lebanese terrorist who evaded capture from the CIA and Mossad for two decades. He was responsible for more American deaths than any other individual prior to 9/11.
“Told from the American, Israeli and Lebanese perspectives, the series traces Mughniyeh’s origins from the Shiite slums of South Beirut to his masterminding of the concept of suicide bombers, a deadly tactic that led to his swift rise as the world’s most dangerous terrorist. Based on extensive research of still-classified events, the drama spans decades and weaves in first-hand, real-life interviews with prominent officials from the CIA and Mossad,...
The four-part limited series tells the origin story of 21-year old Mughniyeh (who is also referred to as “The Ghost”), an elusive Lebanese terrorist who evaded capture from the CIA and Mossad for two decades. He was responsible for more American deaths than any other individual prior to 9/11.
“Told from the American, Israeli and Lebanese perspectives, the series traces Mughniyeh’s origins from the Shiite slums of South Beirut to his masterminding of the concept of suicide bombers, a deadly tactic that led to his swift rise as the world’s most dangerous terrorist. Based on extensive research of still-classified events, the drama spans decades and weaves in first-hand, real-life interviews with prominent officials from the CIA and Mossad,...
- 4/5/2023
- by BreAnna Bell
- Variety Film + TV
Exclusive: Showtime has set Ghosts Of Beirut, a four-part spy drama based on the real-life espionage story of the manhunt for Imad Mughniyeh, the elusive Lebanese terrorist who outwitted his adversaries in the CIA and Mossad for over two decades. The limited series, from Fauda creators Avi Issacharoff and Lior Raz, features an international cast led by Dina Shihabi (Jack Ryan), Dermot Mulroney (My Best Friend’s Wedding), Garret Dillahunt (12 Years a Slave), Iddo Goldberg (Snowpiercer), Hisham Suleiman (Fauda), Amir Khoury (Image of Victory) and Rafi Gavron (A Star is Born).
Emmy winner Greg Barker (Manhunt: The Inside Story of the Hunt for Bin Laden), who directs all four episodes, and Daniel Dreifuss (All Quiet on the Western Front) executive produce Ghosts Of Beirut alongside Issacharoff and Raz. The series will debut on streaming and on demand May 19 for Showtime subscribers, before making its on-air debut on the network May 21.
Ghosts Of Beirut,...
Emmy winner Greg Barker (Manhunt: The Inside Story of the Hunt for Bin Laden), who directs all four episodes, and Daniel Dreifuss (All Quiet on the Western Front) executive produce Ghosts Of Beirut alongside Issacharoff and Raz. The series will debut on streaming and on demand May 19 for Showtime subscribers, before making its on-air debut on the network May 21.
Ghosts Of Beirut,...
- 4/5/2023
- by Nellie Andreeva
- Deadline Film + TV
Rithy Panh, Karim Ainouz, Annemarie Jacir, Tala Hadid, Ghassan Salhab join efforts to continue key project development activities.
The Doha Film Institute (Dfi) has set up an online mentorship programme to replace its Qumra talent and project development event which was cancelled earlier this month due to the coronavirus pandemic.
A total of 46 projects were to have received support and advice from some 100 industry professionals at the sixth edition of the meeting, originally scheduled to run March 20-25 in Doha.
French director Claire Denis, Greek cinematographer Phedon Papamichael, Us director James Gray, Austrian filmmaker Jessica Hausner and Oscar-winning sound editor...
The Doha Film Institute (Dfi) has set up an online mentorship programme to replace its Qumra talent and project development event which was cancelled earlier this month due to the coronavirus pandemic.
A total of 46 projects were to have received support and advice from some 100 industry professionals at the sixth edition of the meeting, originally scheduled to run March 20-25 in Doha.
French director Claire Denis, Greek cinematographer Phedon Papamichael, Us director James Gray, Austrian filmmaker Jessica Hausner and Oscar-winning sound editor...
- 3/19/2020
- by 1100388¦Melanie Goodfellow¦0¦
- ScreenDaily
The Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, the organization responsible for awarding the Oscars, has announced that 12 Arab filmmakers have become members in the categories of Writing, Directing, Acting, Documentary, Animation and Production. Six of the Academy’s new members were on The 100 Most Important Names in the Arab Film Industry list that was featured in the eighth issue of the Arab Cinema Magazine launched by the Arab Cinema Center (Acc) at the 71st Cannes Film Festival.
The New Arab Members Who Joined the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences:
Writing and Directing: Lebanese Director Ziad Doueiri
Writing: Lebanese Screenwriter Joelle Touma
Directing: Palestinian Director Annemarie Jacir, Lebanese Director Nadine Labaki
Acting: Algerian Actress Sofia Boutella, Palestinian Actress Hiam Abbass
Documentary: Tunisian Producer Dora Bouchoucha Fourati,Syrian Director Feras Fayyad, Egyptian Director Mohamed Siam
Production: Lebanese Producer Antoun Sehnaoui, Tunisian Producer Saïd Ben Saïd
Animation: Egyptian Disney Animator...
The New Arab Members Who Joined the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences:
Writing and Directing: Lebanese Director Ziad Doueiri
Writing: Lebanese Screenwriter Joelle Touma
Directing: Palestinian Director Annemarie Jacir, Lebanese Director Nadine Labaki
Acting: Algerian Actress Sofia Boutella, Palestinian Actress Hiam Abbass
Documentary: Tunisian Producer Dora Bouchoucha Fourati,Syrian Director Feras Fayyad, Egyptian Director Mohamed Siam
Production: Lebanese Producer Antoun Sehnaoui, Tunisian Producer Saïd Ben Saïd
Animation: Egyptian Disney Animator...
- 7/31/2018
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
The idea for “The Insult” originated from a real life event much like the one that starts the film. While living in Beirut, Lebanon, director Ziad Doueiri was watering plants on his balcony when the broken gutter sprayed someone. Doueiri exchanged words with the stranger, but later apologized. “A couple of days later I started thinking this thing could’ve really gone out of control,” he recalls. “The thing could’ve become very, very dangerous.” So he thought, “What if I start my story in a similar way, where the film starts with a very similar incident, very insignificant, and instead of it getting fixed or resolved, it gets complicated?” But the conflicts weren’t limited to the action on-screen. The filmmaker faced political resistance off-screen as well. Watch our exclusive video interview with Doueiri above.
See 2018 Oscar nominations: Full list of Academy Awards nominees in all 24 categories
“The Insult...
See 2018 Oscar nominations: Full list of Academy Awards nominees in all 24 categories
“The Insult...
- 2/13/2018
- by Zach Laws
- Gold Derby
Chicago – The clash of ideologies or religion that result in war is one of the most emotional of reasons to fight (and convenient for those who manipulate such emotions). “The Insult,” a contender for Best Foreign Language Film at the Oscars, shows how feelings can escalate to bitter conflict.
Rating: 4.0/5.0
The film is set in Beirut, Lebanon, that is building towards a safe harbor for their citizens in a post-war era… especially the Palestinian refugees. But this is not without consequence, and it’s illustrated through a confrontation between a Christian Party mechanic and a Palestinian construction worker. What starts as an exchange of misunderstood insults, becomes a trial of the century, and a powder keg with a burning fuse for the broader opposing factions in Lebanon. Exquisitely acted and highly moral, the film creates human representatives for long-simmering resentments, and holds up that humanity to the light.
Tony Hanna...
Rating: 4.0/5.0
The film is set in Beirut, Lebanon, that is building towards a safe harbor for their citizens in a post-war era… especially the Palestinian refugees. But this is not without consequence, and it’s illustrated through a confrontation between a Christian Party mechanic and a Palestinian construction worker. What starts as an exchange of misunderstood insults, becomes a trial of the century, and a powder keg with a burning fuse for the broader opposing factions in Lebanon. Exquisitely acted and highly moral, the film creates human representatives for long-simmering resentments, and holds up that humanity to the light.
Tony Hanna...
- 2/2/2018
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Its Oscar nomination this week as Best Foreign-Language Film isn't the only thing that makes The Insult a must-see – Lebanese filmmaker Ziad Doueiri's legal thriller fairly crackles with timely provocations. And don't be put off if the film's structure initially seems schematic to a fault. This is a director who's more than adept at filling in the spaces between feuding characters with insinuating nuance.
The conflict starts when Tony Hanna (Adel Karam), a Christian garage owner with a pregnant wife, Shirine (Rita Hayek), gets all up in the face...
The conflict starts when Tony Hanna (Adel Karam), a Christian garage owner with a pregnant wife, Shirine (Rita Hayek), gets all up in the face...
- 1/25/2018
- Rollingstone.com
wide
Proud Mary [IMDb] pictured
Taraji P. Henson stars at a hitwoman for the Boston mob. (male writers and director)
The Post [my review]
Meryl Streep costars as Washington Post publisher Katharine Graham at a critical juncture in the paper’s history. Cowritten by Liz Hannah. (male director)
Lady Bird [my review]
Greta Gerwig writes and directs this piercingly funny coming-of-age story about a teenaged girl (Saoirse Ronan) trying to figure out who she is.
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri [IMDb]
Frances McDormand stars in a black comedy about a woman seeking justice for her murdered daughter. (male writer and director)
limited
Inside [IMDb]
A pregnant woman (Rachel Nichols) is tormented by a stalker after her baby. (male writers and director)
The Insult [IMDb]
Joelle Touma cowrites this courtroom drama about two men in Beirut. (male director)
My Art [IMDb]
Laurie Simmons writes, directs, and stars in a dramedy about an unsuccessful artist in New York City.
Proud Mary [IMDb] pictured
Taraji P. Henson stars at a hitwoman for the Boston mob. (male writers and director)
The Post [my review]
Meryl Streep costars as Washington Post publisher Katharine Graham at a critical juncture in the paper’s history. Cowritten by Liz Hannah. (male director)
Lady Bird [my review]
Greta Gerwig writes and directs this piercingly funny coming-of-age story about a teenaged girl (Saoirse Ronan) trying to figure out who she is.
Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri [IMDb]
Frances McDormand stars in a black comedy about a woman seeking justice for her murdered daughter. (male writer and director)
limited
Inside [IMDb]
A pregnant woman (Rachel Nichols) is tormented by a stalker after her baby. (male writers and director)
The Insult [IMDb]
Joelle Touma cowrites this courtroom drama about two men in Beirut. (male director)
My Art [IMDb]
Laurie Simmons writes, directs, and stars in a dramedy about an unsuccessful artist in New York City.
- 1/12/2018
- by MaryAnn Johanson
- www.flickfilosopher.com
Director Ziad Doueiri was writing his film “The Insult” with his wife, Joelle Touma, as they were going through a divorce. “I think it’s the best divorce I’ve ever had,” Doueiri jokingly told TheWrap’s Steve Pond at TheWrap’s Awards and Foreign Screening Series at the Landmark Theatres in Los Angeles on Tuesday. The two of them came from different political backgrounds, he from a left wing Lebanese family that supported the Palestinians, and she from a right wing, Christian background. But in co-writing “The Insult,” a courtroom drama about an insult blown out of proportion, they agreed to write the opposite.
- 11/16/2017
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
Despite the fact that Ziad Doueiri’s (a crew member on some of Quentin Tarantino’s early works) latest film The Insult is set in Lebanon, the ensuing drama can’t help but feel familiar to what’s currently happening in America. As our president says bad things are happening on “both sides” and that there are “good people” being “wrongly maligned,” we know the truth. Or at least we should. Whether or not his words are objectively correct, they fail to acknowledge that those “good people” are aligning themselves with hateful, racist notions while hiding behind politics or religion as though either is a valid excuse for a lack of simple humanity. We’ve found ourselves defaulting towards sanctimony, declaring our beliefs righteous without a care for truth or context. And nothing can ever be solved if we remain too prideful to admit we are wrong.
The big difference...
The big difference...
- 9/8/2017
- by Jared Mobarak
- The Film Stage
In order to make accurate predictions about the potential Cannes Film Festival lineup, it’s first important to explore which films definitely won’t make the cut. The glamorous French gathering is notorious for waiting until the last minute before locking in every slot for its Official Selection. That includes competition titles, out of competition titles, a small midnight section and the Un Certain Regard sidebar. Cannes announces the bulk of its selections in Paris on April 13, but until then, there are plenty of ways to make educated guesses. Much of the reporting surrounding the upcoming festival selection is simply lists of films expected to come out this year. However, certain movies are definitely not going to the festival for various reasons.
That’s why our own list of potentials doesn’t include “Image Et Parole,” Jean-Luc Godard’s followup to “Goodbye to Language,” which sales agent Wild Bunch now anticipates as a 2018 title.
That’s why our own list of potentials doesn’t include “Image Et Parole,” Jean-Luc Godard’s followup to “Goodbye to Language,” which sales agent Wild Bunch now anticipates as a 2018 title.
- 3/31/2017
- by Chris O'Falt, Eric Kohn, Jude Dry, Kate Erbland, Steve Greene and Zack Sharf
- Indiewire
The Insult
Director: Ziad Doueiri
Writer: Joelle Touma
After spending most of the 90s as an assistant cameraman on Quentin Tarantino films, Ziad Doueiri broke out on his own in 1998 with West Beirut, followed by Lila Says (2002), and breaking out in 2012 with the compelling The Attack.
Continue reading...
Director: Ziad Doueiri
Writer: Joelle Touma
After spending most of the 90s as an assistant cameraman on Quentin Tarantino films, Ziad Doueiri broke out on his own in 1998 with West Beirut, followed by Lila Says (2002), and breaking out in 2012 with the compelling The Attack.
Continue reading...
- 1/5/2017
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Foreign Affairs
Director: Ziad Doueiri
Writers: Ziad Doueiri, Ghassan Salhab, Joelle Touma
Producers: Rachid Bouchareb, Jean Brehat
U.S. Distributor: Rights Available
Cast: Gerard Depardieu
If you’re familiar with his very controversial and well-made 2012 film, The Attack, then director Ziad Doueiri’s next feature probably sounds like a walk in the park, though don’t be surprised if it doesn’t end up playing that way. Co-written by Doueiri, Ghassan Salhan and Joelle Touma (who wrote The Attack as well as Rachid Bouchareb’s Just Like a Woman, who happens to be producing this title), the inclusion of Gerard Depardieu seems an interesting choice. We’re unsure at what stage of development the film is in, but it’s a project Doueiri has been developing for quite some time, and news broke of Depardieu’s casting in mid 2013.
Gist: 1991. Desert Storm. The first Gulf War has just ended, and...
Director: Ziad Doueiri
Writers: Ziad Doueiri, Ghassan Salhab, Joelle Touma
Producers: Rachid Bouchareb, Jean Brehat
U.S. Distributor: Rights Available
Cast: Gerard Depardieu
If you’re familiar with his very controversial and well-made 2012 film, The Attack, then director Ziad Doueiri’s next feature probably sounds like a walk in the park, though don’t be surprised if it doesn’t end up playing that way. Co-written by Doueiri, Ghassan Salhan and Joelle Touma (who wrote The Attack as well as Rachid Bouchareb’s Just Like a Woman, who happens to be producing this title), the inclusion of Gerard Depardieu seems an interesting choice. We’re unsure at what stage of development the film is in, but it’s a project Doueiri has been developing for quite some time, and news broke of Depardieu’s casting in mid 2013.
Gist: 1991. Desert Storm. The first Gulf War has just ended, and...
- 2/24/2014
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Female Trouble: Bouchareb’s Understated First Chapter in Arab-American Trilogy
Algerian filmmaker Rachid Bouchareb, perhaps most widely recognized for his films Outside the Law (2010) and Days of Glory (2006), depicting historical and divisive conflicts between Algeria and France, returns once again to the Us with Just Like a Woman, the first film of a planned trilogy depicting the transforming relationships between the Western and Arab world. A female centric road film born out of severe character conflicts created by their oppressive, male dominated existence ensures that the film will be rampantly compared to Ridley Scott’s Thelma & Louise (1991), even though it avoids an overtly melodramatic malaise. Shining through its formulaic setup and stereotypical antagonists are a pair of actresses that manage to fit perfectly with Bouchareb’s knack for uniting people despite of their socially constructed differences.
Down and out Chicago receptionist Marilyn (Sienna Miller) is struggling to make ends...
Algerian filmmaker Rachid Bouchareb, perhaps most widely recognized for his films Outside the Law (2010) and Days of Glory (2006), depicting historical and divisive conflicts between Algeria and France, returns once again to the Us with Just Like a Woman, the first film of a planned trilogy depicting the transforming relationships between the Western and Arab world. A female centric road film born out of severe character conflicts created by their oppressive, male dominated existence ensures that the film will be rampantly compared to Ridley Scott’s Thelma & Louise (1991), even though it avoids an overtly melodramatic malaise. Shining through its formulaic setup and stereotypical antagonists are a pair of actresses that manage to fit perfectly with Bouchareb’s knack for uniting people despite of their socially constructed differences.
Down and out Chicago receptionist Marilyn (Sienna Miller) is struggling to make ends...
- 7/5/2013
- by Nicholas Bell
- IONCINEMA.com
Hey guys, just wanted to let you know that a brand new poster for Rachid Bouchareb‘s latest drama Just Like a Woman is waiting for you in the rest of this report. You know, the film that stars Sienna Miller as an American housewife and Golshifteh Farahani as her North African friend? C’mon, we already shared 20 great images and trailer for the whole thing… I will once again remind you that Bouchareb directed the pic from a script written by Joelle Touma and Marion Doussot, which revolves around a Chicago housewife runs off to Santa Fe to compete in a belly dancing competition. In...
- 6/11/2013
- by Jeanne Standal
- Filmofilia
One of the most interesting U.S. Distributors these days is Cohen Media Group. Its films are daring and interesting, ranging from documentaries like Chasing Madoff and Frozen River to multi-award winning Spanish film Blancanieves. Later this month it will release the daring film The Attack based on the best selling novel L'Attentat by renowned Algerian writer Yasmina Khadra.
The Attack, directed by Ziad Doueiri and written by Ziad Doueiri and Joelle Touma won three honors at the recently concluded Col*Coa, the second largest French Film Festival in the world after Cannes. The Col*Coa Audience Award, the Critics Special Prize and the new Coming Soon Award, a prize given in association with Kpcc 89.3, to a film presented with an attached U.S. distributor.
“Stunning.... a film of intelligence and emotional power. Quite apart from its social importance, The Attack is a damn good, pulse-pounding mystery.”Victoria Ellison, La Weekly
“Chilling, brilliantly filmed and inherently fascinating. The film unfolds masterfully, without a single false step. It’s hard to imagine any audience remaining unmoved by this mournful tale. -- Stephen Farber, The Hollywood Reporter
Cohen Media Group's principals are stellar and yet not flamboyantly "Hollywood". Charles Cohen, Chairman and CEO has developed the spectacular Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood as one of his real estate projects. I love how its red glass hull looms over my own neighborhood in West Hollywood and how I can write every day at the beautiful West Hollywood Library whose glass wall compasses the entire Pcd as the view from my seat.
Partner Edmondo Schwartz personifies the modern hybrid of both entrepreneur and financer. His interests encompass the real estate, entertainment, restaurant and financing fields. He is currently President of Ems Enterprises, a full service real estate firm; General Partner of The Saike Group, an investment-banking firm; and President of Burritos International, a restaurant concept development company, which owns, operates, and develops fast food restaurants. In the past, Schwartz has also served as President of Empire Pictures, a distributor of foreign and independent films in the theatrical, DVD and television markets throughout the United States. Mr. Schwartz currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Bergen Performing Arts Center. He is a former board member of the Make a Wish foundation of Metro New York and was involved with City Meals on Wheels.
On the filmic side of this company, partner Steve Scheffer served over twenty-five years as a senior executive at Home Box Office (HBO) primarily as President of Film Programming responsible for overseeing the acquisition of all motion pictures for HBO as well as HBO’s investments in and production of theatrical films. Prior to HBO, Scheffer held executive positions at Time Life Films, Allied Artists, Polydor Records, MGM and Columbia Pictures.
President Daniel Battsek most recently was President of National Geographic Films, where he acquired projects for development/production, operated a boutique theatrical domestic distribution arm for art-house titles and documentaries including the Oscar-nominated Restrepo, and oversaw National Geographic large-screen and IMAX projects. Prior to joining National Geographic, Mr. Battsek served at Miramax Films, where as head of international he established a very positive image and reputation for himself. He was instrumental in acquiring, green-lighting or distributing such renowned and award winning films as Tsotsi (Best Foreign Language Oscar), The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, The Queen, Happy-Go-Lucky, No Country for Old Men (Best Feature Film Oscar) and There Will Be Blood.
And worker bee, Gary Ruben, Executive Vice President at the Cohen Media Group, has headed his own company and began his career in the first days of video, working with Media Home Entertainment as head of acquisitions so many years ago. Over 25 years of experience in the motion picture and television business, he formed and ran First Independent Pictures, a specialty distribution company, was Executive Vice President, Sales and Acquisitions for Artisan Entertainment, was at October Films, where he held the position of VP, Ancillary Distribution and Library Acquisitions.
A new addition is John Kochman who is helping Cmg with French films. He is also Unifrance's long-time New York-based director.
Cohen Media Group has Blancanieves now in U.S. release and coming soon are The Artist and the Model by Fernando Trueba and sold to them by 6 Sales, The Attack, In the House by Francois Ozon and also screening at Col*Coa, Terraferma, You Will Be My Son. Past films included The Other Son, The Thief of Bagdad, Tristana, Farewell, My Queen; The Lady, Delicacy, Chasing Madoff, Frozen River, My Afternoons with Margueritte, Oranges and Sunshine.
The Attack directed by Ziad Doueiri is a Lebanese feature, an intense drama about an Israeli-Palestinian man whose life is shattered after discovering the secrets his wife has kept from him. Co-written by Joelle Touma and the film's director Ziad Doueiri, the film stars Ali Sulliman (Paradise Now) and Reymonde Amsellem. It was in the Official Selection: 2012 Telluride Film Festival, Official Selection 2012 Toronto International Film Festival and received Special Mention of the Jury at the 2012 San Sebastian Film Festival and was the Winner of the Golden Star (Best Film) at the 2012 Marrakech International Film Festival.
The Attack, directed by Ziad Doueiri and written by Ziad Doueiri and Joelle Touma won three honors at the recently concluded Col*Coa, the second largest French Film Festival in the world after Cannes. The Col*Coa Audience Award, the Critics Special Prize and the new Coming Soon Award, a prize given in association with Kpcc 89.3, to a film presented with an attached U.S. distributor.
“Stunning.... a film of intelligence and emotional power. Quite apart from its social importance, The Attack is a damn good, pulse-pounding mystery.”Victoria Ellison, La Weekly
“Chilling, brilliantly filmed and inherently fascinating. The film unfolds masterfully, without a single false step. It’s hard to imagine any audience remaining unmoved by this mournful tale. -- Stephen Farber, The Hollywood Reporter
Cohen Media Group's principals are stellar and yet not flamboyantly "Hollywood". Charles Cohen, Chairman and CEO has developed the spectacular Pacific Design Center in West Hollywood as one of his real estate projects. I love how its red glass hull looms over my own neighborhood in West Hollywood and how I can write every day at the beautiful West Hollywood Library whose glass wall compasses the entire Pcd as the view from my seat.
Partner Edmondo Schwartz personifies the modern hybrid of both entrepreneur and financer. His interests encompass the real estate, entertainment, restaurant and financing fields. He is currently President of Ems Enterprises, a full service real estate firm; General Partner of The Saike Group, an investment-banking firm; and President of Burritos International, a restaurant concept development company, which owns, operates, and develops fast food restaurants. In the past, Schwartz has also served as President of Empire Pictures, a distributor of foreign and independent films in the theatrical, DVD and television markets throughout the United States. Mr. Schwartz currently serves on the Board of Directors of the Bergen Performing Arts Center. He is a former board member of the Make a Wish foundation of Metro New York and was involved with City Meals on Wheels.
On the filmic side of this company, partner Steve Scheffer served over twenty-five years as a senior executive at Home Box Office (HBO) primarily as President of Film Programming responsible for overseeing the acquisition of all motion pictures for HBO as well as HBO’s investments in and production of theatrical films. Prior to HBO, Scheffer held executive positions at Time Life Films, Allied Artists, Polydor Records, MGM and Columbia Pictures.
President Daniel Battsek most recently was President of National Geographic Films, where he acquired projects for development/production, operated a boutique theatrical domestic distribution arm for art-house titles and documentaries including the Oscar-nominated Restrepo, and oversaw National Geographic large-screen and IMAX projects. Prior to joining National Geographic, Mr. Battsek served at Miramax Films, where as head of international he established a very positive image and reputation for himself. He was instrumental in acquiring, green-lighting or distributing such renowned and award winning films as Tsotsi (Best Foreign Language Oscar), The Diving Bell and the Butterfly, The Queen, Happy-Go-Lucky, No Country for Old Men (Best Feature Film Oscar) and There Will Be Blood.
And worker bee, Gary Ruben, Executive Vice President at the Cohen Media Group, has headed his own company and began his career in the first days of video, working with Media Home Entertainment as head of acquisitions so many years ago. Over 25 years of experience in the motion picture and television business, he formed and ran First Independent Pictures, a specialty distribution company, was Executive Vice President, Sales and Acquisitions for Artisan Entertainment, was at October Films, where he held the position of VP, Ancillary Distribution and Library Acquisitions.
A new addition is John Kochman who is helping Cmg with French films. He is also Unifrance's long-time New York-based director.
Cohen Media Group has Blancanieves now in U.S. release and coming soon are The Artist and the Model by Fernando Trueba and sold to them by 6 Sales, The Attack, In the House by Francois Ozon and also screening at Col*Coa, Terraferma, You Will Be My Son. Past films included The Other Son, The Thief of Bagdad, Tristana, Farewell, My Queen; The Lady, Delicacy, Chasing Madoff, Frozen River, My Afternoons with Margueritte, Oranges and Sunshine.
The Attack directed by Ziad Doueiri is a Lebanese feature, an intense drama about an Israeli-Palestinian man whose life is shattered after discovering the secrets his wife has kept from him. Co-written by Joelle Touma and the film's director Ziad Doueiri, the film stars Ali Sulliman (Paradise Now) and Reymonde Amsellem. It was in the Official Selection: 2012 Telluride Film Festival, Official Selection 2012 Toronto International Film Festival and received Special Mention of the Jury at the 2012 San Sebastian Film Festival and was the Winner of the Golden Star (Best Film) at the 2012 Marrakech International Film Festival.
- 4/22/2013
- by Sydney Levine
- Sydney's Buzz
Cohen Media Group and Focus World are teaming up to release The Attack in the U.S. and Canada in 2013. Cohen Media Group will be handling theatrical release and DVD distribution and sales while Focus World will be controlling all digital media and television rights.
The Attack, adapted from Yasmina Khadra.s international bestseller by the film.s director, Ziad Doueiri and with a screenplay by Ziad Doueiri and Joelle Touma, is produced by Jean Bréhat and Rachid Bouchareb. John Wells is also a producer on the film. The Attack is a 3B Production and Douri Film, Uag, Scope Pictures and Random House Films co-production.
The Attack marks Doueiri.s third feature, following his critically acclaimed films West Beirut and Lila Says. Acclaimed international actor Ali Suliman (Paradise Now) stars as Amin Jaafari, an Israeli-Palestinian surgeon who has fully assimilated into Tel Aviv society. His picture-perfect life is turned upside...
The Attack, adapted from Yasmina Khadra.s international bestseller by the film.s director, Ziad Doueiri and with a screenplay by Ziad Doueiri and Joelle Touma, is produced by Jean Bréhat and Rachid Bouchareb. John Wells is also a producer on the film. The Attack is a 3B Production and Douri Film, Uag, Scope Pictures and Random House Films co-production.
The Attack marks Doueiri.s third feature, following his critically acclaimed films West Beirut and Lila Says. Acclaimed international actor Ali Suliman (Paradise Now) stars as Amin Jaafari, an Israeli-Palestinian surgeon who has fully assimilated into Tel Aviv society. His picture-perfect life is turned upside...
- 8/27/2012
- by Michelle McCue
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
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