An Israeli film has won the Golden Lion, the top prize at the Venice Film Festival.

Lebanon was directed by Samuel Maoz, and is set during the 1982 Lebanon War. Almost all of the action takes place inside an Israeli tank.

Film Festivals have become a major target for boycotters. In recent months the Edinburgh, Melbourne and Toronto festivals have all been caught up in boycott attempts, led by celebrities like Ken Loach, Jane Fonda and Danny Glover. So it’s heartening to see an Israeli film get the recognition it deserves.

Speaking to the Observer today, Maoz noted:

“The point of a film like mine is to open a dialogue, to get people talking to each other about important issues. This is something you can’t do if films are boycotted. It makes no sense to boycott art. Maybe I wouldn’t have won if Jane Fonda was on the jury, but she wasn’t.”