THE GO-GO BOYS

Dir. Hilla Medalia (86min, Israel, 2014)
Hebrew with English Subtitles
Documentary
Mid-Atlantic Premiere

Directed by Hilla Medalia (Dancing in Jaffa), this documentary reveals the inside story of two Israeli-born cousins, Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus, who in pursuit of the American Dream turned the Hollywood power structure upside down, producing over 300 films and forming Cannon – at its apex, the most powerful independent film company in the world.

Celebrated, condemned, loved and loathed, Cannon’s legacy is undeniable, wielding a pop-cultural power that continues to seep into modern life today. The duo brought us Chuck Norris, Jean Claude Van Damme, and a flop of epic proportions in 1987’s Superman IV, but also supported cinema artists John Cassavates, Franco Zeffirelli, and Andrei Konchalovsky.

Co-presented by The Documentary Center at GWU and Center for Israel Studies, American University.

Hilla Medalia holds a Master’s Degree in Film and Television from Southern Illinois University which she attended on a Track and Field scholarship, competing in the Triple Jump. She credits her love for films and passion for storytelling leading her to study film.

“The last of the brash, shameless, old-school, ingratiatingly crass pirates to streak across the cinematic firmament before the advent of the suits and bean counters, Menahem Golan and Yoram Globus get a lively and largely sympathetic hearing in The Go-Go Boys.” -The Hollywood Reporter