U.S. Writers Guild names Israeli war film 'Waltz with Bashir' best documentary

Israeli animated war film "Waltz with Bashir" was given the award for best documentary by the Writers Guild of America Saturday, to add to the collection of awards the critically-acclaimed film has received.

"Waltz with Bashir" deals with filmmaker Ari Folman's search to piece together his memories as a combat soldier during Israel's invasion of Lebanon in 1982, and in particular, where he was during the massacre at the Sabra and Shatilla refugee camp in Beirut.

The film uses a striking combination of frame-by-frame and computer generated animation to create a powerful and at times surreal portrayal of war and the way memory plays tricks on the mind.

It won best foreign film at the 66th Golden Globes ceremony in Hollywood in January and was named the best film of the year by the National Society of Film Critics.

The film was screened in Lebanon in January, although it is officially banned in that country.

Also in January, the film was nominated for an Oscar for best foreign-language film.

The Oscars will be held on February 22. Folman's film is up against French director Laurent Cantet's "The Class," German director Uli Edel's "The Baadr Meinhof Complex," Austrian director Gotz Spielmann's "Revanche" and Japanese director Yojiro Takita's "Departures."