Waltz with Bashir

Waltz with Bashir
Theatrical release poster
Original titleואלס עם באשיר
Directed byAri Folman
Written byAri Folman
Produced by
  • Ari Folman
  • Serge Lalou
  • Gerhard Meixner
  • Yael Nahlieli
  • Roman Paul
  • Richard O’Connell
StarringAri Folman
Edited byNili Feller
Music byMax Richter
Production
companies
  • Bridgit Folman Film Gang
  • Les Films d'Ici
  • Razor Film Produktion
Distributed by
Release dates
  • 13 May 2008 (2008-05-13) (Cannes)
  • 12 June 2008 (2008-06-12) (Israel)
Running time
90 minutes
Countries
  • Israel
  • France
  • Germany
  • United States
  • Finland
  • Switzerland
  • Belgium
  • Australia
LanguageHebrew
Budget$1.3 million
Box office$11.1 million

Waltz with Bashir (Hebrew: ואלס עם באשיר, translit. Vals Im Bashir) is a 2008 adult animated war documentary film written, produced, and directed by Ari Folman. It depicts Folman's search for lost memories of his experience as a soldier during the 1982 Lebanon War and the Sabra and Shatila massacre. It was the first Israeli feature-length animated film released theatrically since Joseph the Dreamer in 1962.

The film premiered at the 2008 Cannes Film Festival, where it competed for the Palme d'Or. Subsequently, it received wide acclaim from critics and audiences alike, with particular praise given to its themes, animation, direction, story, Max Richter's score, and Nili Feller's editing, although it drew criticism from Arab countries. It is considered a groundbreaking achievement for adult animated films, particularly its use of visualized cutout animation in documentary and personal reflection that explores the psychological and physical damage of war, setting it apart from most fictional animated films by tackling realistic and complex, mature themes not typically seen in mainstream animation.

Waltz with Bashir garnered numerous accolades for the first time in an R-rated and non-English-language animated film including the Golden Globe Award for Best Foreign Language Film, the Critics' Choice Movie Award for Best Foreign Language Film, the National Society of Film Critics Award for Best Film, WGA's Best Documentary Screenplay and DGA's Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Documentary, and the International Documentary Association Award for Best Feature Documentary, and a nomination of Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film.