Back in 2009, one of the most notable names to appear on the world film scene was Samuel Maoz. The then-47-year-old filmmaker, a former documentarian, made his feature debut with “Lebanon,” a gripping war drama set entirely within a tank during the 1982 conflict between Israel and Lebanon, a conflict which Maoz himself had fought in, in a similar role. Despite Maoz’s first-timer status, it landed in competition at the 2009 Venice Film Festival and, furthermore, took the top prize, the Golden Lion, beating out films including “White Material,” “A Single Man” and “The Road.”

Maoz seemed likely to break out to a much wider audience, and yet, in the last eight years, he has been largely absent.

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