If you think that Nadine Labaki’s journey with her masterpiece Capernahum has ended, you are totally wrong! Our leading Lebanese film director continues to move hearts and minds all over the world, every now and then.
Recently, Nadine Labaki went again winning an award and, this time, it’s the German Film Peace Prize at the Munich Film Festival, which took place at Munich’s Rococo Cuvilliés theatre.
Labaki was one of two winners from the Middle East who were awarded this particular prize that honors valuable films focusing on humanistic and socio-political issues.
Former Lebanese minister of interior Ziyad Baroud, who was invited to participate in presenting the prizes, gave an emotional speech honoring Labaki in those words:
“Nadine is a Lebanese celebrity, a true human rights’ activist and a wise filmmaker. Her film brought us out of the dark at the national level and gave us hope and pride.”
He addressed Labaki by saying, “You did a job that few of the world’s leading leaders have done before. You have honored the marginalized communities.”
He went on explaining that through her film, Nadine has raised questions that no one has raised before, “and that’s because she went to the marginalized places with the camera and audio to highlight their issues.”
Nadine Labaki started her success story with Capernaum over a year ago when the movie earned a 15-minute standing ovation at the Cannes Film Festival.
Later on, the film went on to be nominated for both a Golden Globe and an Academy Award for Best Foreign Film, with Labaki becoming the first woman from the region to receive that honor.
A few months ago, Capernaum became an unexpected blockbuster in China, reportedly grossing $44 million in just over two weeks.
Labaki has also won recently the Arab Cinema Centre (ACC) Awards for the Best Director in 2019 during a ceremony held on the sidelines of the 2019 Cannes festival.
She became the first Lebanese President- Judge at Cannes’ Festival, after which she announced that she will be producing a feature-length documentary for her film Capernaum as well.
Capernaum is Nadine Labaki’s third major film. It features the story of a 12-year-old boy, Zain, who lives in a Beirut’s slum where his parents are incapable of taking care of him. He runs away from home and lives for a while with an illegal immigrant from Ethiopia named Rahil.
