The Prime Ministers An Intimate Narrative of Israeli Leadership
By Yehuda Avner The Toby Press, 2010, 713 pages
ISBN 978-159264-308-0
The Prime Ministers, Yehuda Avner's Bestselling Book about Israeli Leaders, to be Made into Two Movies
Academy Award-Winning Moriah Films Acquires Rights to Produce Documentary
Crystal City Entertainment Options Book for Dramatic Production
For immediate release - Posted October 23, 2011
Two award-winning production companies, Moriah Films of Los Angeles and Crystal City Entertainment of Washington, DC, each will produce a film based on The Prime Ministers, Yehuda Avner's bestselling political memoir, which describes his first-hand experiences as advisor and speechwriter to Israeli Prime Ministers Menachem Begin, Yitzhak Rabin, Golda Meir and Levi Eshkol. Moriah Films, the film division of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, has acquired the rights from The Toby Press to produce a documentary, which is scheduled for release in 2012. Crystal City Entertainment has optioned the book to produce a dramatic adaptation for television or screen.
Marvin Hier, Founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center and Moriah Films, says "We are honored to be able to bring to the screen Yehuda Avner's remarkable book, which affords us the unique opportunity to tell Israel's story to a new generation as it has never been told before."
Ari Pinchot of Crystal City Entertainment believes The Prime Ministers offers "a unique, first-person perspective on the complicated people who launched a country against unimaginable odds. Yehuda Avner's personal approach, which reveals the complex characters who led Israel at that dramatic time, adds a fascinating, unseen dimension to this well known story."
Author Yehuda Avner says, "I am honored that not one, but two quality filmmakers will bring The Prime Ministers to an even wider audience, thereby giving new life to those unique architects of Israel's birth, growth, security, and quest for peace, who forever saw themselves not as public figures, but as public servants."
The Prime Ministers has received widespread critical acclaim. Bret Stephens of The Wall Street Journal described it as "a front-row seat to the drama of Israeli statecraft in moments of crisis and triumph, tragedy and joy." David Horovitz of The Jerusalem Post called it "the ultimate insider's account."
The Prime Ministers has captured the attention of a number of world leaders, including US Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, who called the book "a sweeping tome of Israeli politics and history," and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who described it as "a fascinating account...that provides insight into the actions of our nation's leaders and offers important lessons for the future."
The Prime Ministers was a finalist for the 2011 National Jewish Book Award, and was an Amazon #1 bestseller.
Moriah Films produces documentaries that focus on the Jewish experience and contemporary human rights and ethical issues. Two of Moriah's films have received the Academy Award for Best Feature Documentary: Genocide (1981) and The Long Way Home (1997).
Crystal City Entertainment is a film production and financing company whose most recent film was Sony Pictures' The Ides of March, directed by and starring George Clooney. Crystal City Producer Ari Pinchot previously was a producer of The Life and Times of Hank Greenberg, and the award-winning feature documentary, Paper Clips.
For more information: pr@tobypress.com
Related Reviews:
The Prime Ministers: An Intimate Narrative of Israeli Leadership, by Yehuda Avner.
This is the first and only insider account of Israeli politics from the founding of the Jewish State to the near-present day. The Prime Ministers brings readers into the orbits of world figures, including Menachem Begin, Yitzhak Rabin, Ronald Reagan, Jimmy Carter, Henry Kissinger, Yasser Arafat, Margaret Thatcher, Princess Diana and the Lubavitcher Rebbe.
Golda, by Elinor Burkett.
This is an in-depth biography of Golda Meir that focuses on her public life and political endeavors. At the same time, this book provides unique insights into Israeli history and politics.
