Banned (but watched) in Lebanon

February 25, 2009

Reporters on the Job: The Israeli movie “Waltz with Bashir” is a hit in Lebanon, despite being banned by the Lebanese authorities. I spoke to several owners of DVD rental shops and they all said that it was one of their most requested movies. (Read the Monitor's story here.)

The DVD shop I visited in an area where Hezbollah has strong influence had several copies of “Waltz with Bashir” brazenly displayed on the store shelves.

When I asked the owner if he was worried about being caught, he said, “No one will bother me here. The government has more important things to worry about than catching people watching an Israeli movie.”