Lebanese Director Nadine Labaki’s Latest Film Has Been Nominated For Another Award
‘Capharnaum’, a snap shot of poverty in Beirut, continues to make history
If you thought things couldn’t get more exciting for Arab director Nadine Labaki, after her latest film has been nominated for a Golden Globe and an Academy Award, the British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTAS) revealed its 2019 list of nominees and it includes Capharnaum. This makes Labaki the first Arab female filmmaker to have her film in contention.
The BAFTAs will take place on 10 February at 11pm.
Updated Story 18/12/2018
Following the news that Nadine Labaki’s new film Capharnaum was up for an Oscar, the director took to Instagram to announce that her latest work has officially been shortlisted.
“What an incredible moment in our film’s journey and a major milestone for Lebanese and Arab cinema,” Labaki writes on Instagram. “After years of research, tears and sweat, long production hours and sleepless nights, our film has been recognized on this year’s Foreign Language #Oscar shortlist among 8 other films from a selection that exceeded 80 submissions from all around the world. We couldn’t be prouder.”
The seven other forgein films that Lebanese Capharnaum is up against includes Colombian Birds of Passage, Danish The Guilty, German Never Look Away, Japanese Shoplifters, Kazakhstan Ayka, Mexican Roma, Polish Cold War and South Korean Burning.
The 2019 Academy Awards are taking place on 25 February at 5am UAE time.
Original Story 23/09/2018
Acclaimed Beiruti writer-director, Nadine Labaki — most notable for her work in Where Do We Go Now? (2011) and Caramel (2007) — will be representing Lebanon in the 2019 Oscar’s for ‘Best Foreign Film’. Her nominated movie and regional hit Capharnaum was just released in cinemas over the weekend and is estimated to bring in an impressive $4,000,000 (approx. Dhs14.7 million), as well as plenty of attention for the country. It is only the second Lebanese film to ever be nominated at the Academy Awards.
The Lebanon-based movie is told by a 12-year-old undocumented boy, who sues his parents for giving him life when they couldn’t offer him even a minimal level of care, safety and affection. This emotionally wrought story takes a closer look at Beirut’s slums, while also offering insight into the lives of Lebanese children in poverty.
Like the majority of the cast, the film’s star and narrator Zain Al Rafeea is a non-professional actor and a Syrian refugee, spotted by Labaki while he played on the streets of Beirut throughout her two years of research in the area.
Capharnaum is already collecting its fair share of accolades, earning the Jury Prize at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival this past June (which also doubled as its world premiere). It has also been screened at other film festivals worldwide, including the TIFF in Toronto and the London Film Festival.
Watch the trailer below: