Oscar-nominated Mexican sound designer Martin Hernandez has given new details about his latest project, Netflix documentary series The Master Of Monarchs [working title], which will launch on the platform later this year.
The series takes flight with the story of the Monarch butterfly and its journey from Canada to El Rosario Monarch Butterfly Preserve, a nature reserve in Mexico. The keeper of the reserve, environmental activist Homero Gomez, was murdered in 2020. It is believed he was killed because he stood up against organised crime groups.
The Master Of Monarchs will feature interviews with Gomez’s wife and children.
“It’s a great documentary.
The series takes flight with the story of the Monarch butterfly and its journey from Canada to El Rosario Monarch Butterfly Preserve, a nature reserve in Mexico. The keeper of the reserve, environmental activist Homero Gomez, was murdered in 2020. It is believed he was killed because he stood up against organised crime groups.
The Master Of Monarchs will feature interviews with Gomez’s wife and children.
“It’s a great documentary.
- 3/6/2024
- ScreenDaily
The moves comes as the leading Mena distributor ramps up activity.
Dubai-based distributor Front Row Filmed Entertainment has promoted Nicolas Torloting, Carine Chaiban and Elie Touma to partners as the company increases activity in the region.
The trio joined in early 2019 as part of a revamp of the company, which is one of the leading distributors of independent and genre films in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena). Torloting is Front Row’s COO, with Chaiban heading post-theatrical sales and Touma leading acquisitions and theatrical distribution.
The company, founded by Gianluca Chakra in 2003, handles the release of more than 200 films per year,...
Dubai-based distributor Front Row Filmed Entertainment has promoted Nicolas Torloting, Carine Chaiban and Elie Touma to partners as the company increases activity in the region.
The trio joined in early 2019 as part of a revamp of the company, which is one of the leading distributors of independent and genre films in the Middle East and North Africa (Mena). Torloting is Front Row’s COO, with Chaiban heading post-theatrical sales and Touma leading acquisitions and theatrical distribution.
The company, founded by Gianluca Chakra in 2003, handles the release of more than 200 films per year,...
- 12/4/2023
- by Michael Rosser
- ScreenDaily
Middle East and North Africa (Mena) region indie distributor Front Row Filmed Entertainment is promoting company execs Nicolas Torloting, Carine Chaiban and Elie Touma to partners as it ramps up operations.
The trio joined the company, headed by Gianluca Chakra, in early 2019 as part of an initial revamp. Torloting, a former Disney exec in the region, is currently Front Row’s COO, while Chaiban, who is an acquisitions and distribution expert, heads post-theatrical sales and Touma is in charge of acquisitions and theatrical distribution. The announcement was made during Saudi Arabia’s ongoing Red Sea Film Festival. Front Row recently scored big at the Saudi box office with the wrestling comedy “Sattar,” released by Front Row Arabia via its joint venture with leading local exhibitor Muvi Cinemas.
Amid the region’s rapidly evolving film distribution landscape, Front Row has grown to establish itself as one of the leading players in...
The trio joined the company, headed by Gianluca Chakra, in early 2019 as part of an initial revamp. Torloting, a former Disney exec in the region, is currently Front Row’s COO, while Chaiban, who is an acquisitions and distribution expert, heads post-theatrical sales and Touma is in charge of acquisitions and theatrical distribution. The announcement was made during Saudi Arabia’s ongoing Red Sea Film Festival. Front Row recently scored big at the Saudi box office with the wrestling comedy “Sattar,” released by Front Row Arabia via its joint venture with leading local exhibitor Muvi Cinemas.
Amid the region’s rapidly evolving film distribution landscape, Front Row has grown to establish itself as one of the leading players in...
- 12/4/2023
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
Capernaum Photo: Fares Sokhon
Capernaum, 1.25am, Film4, Tuesday, December 5
The plight of children on the poverty line in Lebanon is put front and centre by Nadine Labaki's neorealist drama about youngster Zain, who runs away from home after his parents sell his sister. The story unfolds in two strands - one showing him scraping by on the street and the other in the confines of a courtroom where he is suing his parents for neglect. Although Labaki leans into the melodrama a little heavily in places, this is nevertheless a deeply affecting film that grips at a visceral level. Al Rafeea is now resettled in Norway, something Labaki told us about.
The Wicker Man, 10pm, BBC4, Tuesday, December 6
Fifty years to the week from...
Capernaum, 1.25am, Film4, Tuesday, December 5
The plight of children on the poverty line in Lebanon is put front and centre by Nadine Labaki's neorealist drama about youngster Zain, who runs away from home after his parents sell his sister. The story unfolds in two strands - one showing him scraping by on the street and the other in the confines of a courtroom where he is suing his parents for neglect. Although Labaki leans into the melodrama a little heavily in places, this is nevertheless a deeply affecting film that grips at a visceral level. Al Rafeea is now resettled in Norway, something Labaki told us about.
The Wicker Man, 10pm, BBC4, Tuesday, December 6
Fifty years to the week from...
- 12/4/2023
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
Lebanese actress and director Nadine Labaki enjoyed breakout success with Oscar-nominated and Cannes Jury Prize-winning third feature Capernaum in 2018 and there is now anticipation over what will be her next directorial feature project
However, the star, who is currently at the Marrakech International Film Festival as a member of its jury, told Deadline this week that it could be a while before she gets behind the camera.
“I have to start writing the next feature film. There’s nothing tangible I can talk about yet,” she said.
The weight of Lebanon’s political and economic crisis since 2019, which was exacerbated by the pandemic, and the deadly and devastating August 2020 Beirut explosion had made it difficult for her to focus on a personal project, she said.
“It has been a very difficult three years. We’ve all been sort of living like zombies. We’re alive but not really and it...
However, the star, who is currently at the Marrakech International Film Festival as a member of its jury, told Deadline this week that it could be a while before she gets behind the camera.
“I have to start writing the next feature film. There’s nothing tangible I can talk about yet,” she said.
The weight of Lebanon’s political and economic crisis since 2019, which was exacerbated by the pandemic, and the deadly and devastating August 2020 Beirut explosion had made it difficult for her to focus on a personal project, she said.
“It has been a very difficult three years. We’ve all been sort of living like zombies. We’re alive but not really and it...
- 11/18/2022
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- Deadline Film + TV
Capernaum Capernaum, 11.40pm Monday Film4
The plight of children on the poverty line in Lebanon is put front and centre by Nadine Labaki's neorealist drama about youngster Zain, who runs away from home after his parents sell his sister. The story unfolds in two strands - one showing him scraping by on the street and the other in the confines of a courtroom where he is suing his parents for neglect. Although Labaki leans into the melodrama a little heavily in places, this is nevertheless a deeply affecting film that grips at a visceral level. Al Rafeea is now resettled in Norway, something Labaki told us about. Read our full review.
Tyrannosaur, Thursday, 1.25am Film4
Peter Mullan has carved out a career of strong...
The plight of children on the poverty line in Lebanon is put front and centre by Nadine Labaki's neorealist drama about youngster Zain, who runs away from home after his parents sell his sister. The story unfolds in two strands - one showing him scraping by on the street and the other in the confines of a courtroom where he is suing his parents for neglect. Although Labaki leans into the melodrama a little heavily in places, this is nevertheless a deeply affecting film that grips at a visceral level. Al Rafeea is now resettled in Norway, something Labaki told us about. Read our full review.
Tyrannosaur, Thursday, 1.25am Film4
Peter Mullan has carved out a career of strong...
- 5/10/2021
- by Amber Wilkinson
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
A call was made for more filmmakers in the Arab world to spotlight attention on the plight of child refugees and domestic violence at the fourth edition of the El Gouna Film Festival Sunday.
“We need artists and filmmakers to spotlight violence against women and children,” said Noura Selim, executive director at the Sawiris Foundation for Social Development on the panel “Children Matter” organized by Unhcr and the Sawiris Foundation. The billionaire Sawiris Brothers, Naguib and Samih Sawiris, founded the El Gouna Film Festival in 2017.
Speaking on the panel alongside Selim were Karim Atassi, Unhcr’s representative in Egypt, Haifa Abu Ghazaleh, assistant secretary-general of the League of Arab States (Las), and Syrian actress Kinda Alloush. Following the panel, a video interview with Lebanese director Nadine Labaki was broadcast. Labaki’s most recent film, the Oscar-nominated “Capernaum,” starred Syrian refugee child actor Zain Al Rafeea (credited as Zain El Hajj.
“We need artists and filmmakers to spotlight violence against women and children,” said Noura Selim, executive director at the Sawiris Foundation for Social Development on the panel “Children Matter” organized by Unhcr and the Sawiris Foundation. The billionaire Sawiris Brothers, Naguib and Samih Sawiris, founded the El Gouna Film Festival in 2017.
Speaking on the panel alongside Selim were Karim Atassi, Unhcr’s representative in Egypt, Haifa Abu Ghazaleh, assistant secretary-general of the League of Arab States (Las), and Syrian actress Kinda Alloush. Following the panel, a video interview with Lebanese director Nadine Labaki was broadcast. Labaki’s most recent film, the Oscar-nominated “Capernaum,” starred Syrian refugee child actor Zain Al Rafeea (credited as Zain El Hajj.
- 10/26/2020
- by Kaleem Aftab
- Variety Film + TV
Less than two months after Beirut was blasted by one of the biggest non-nuclear explosions ever recorded, director Nadine Labaki has taken to the streets of the Lebanese capital with her camera.
“I don’t know where it’s going to lead, or if it will ever lead anywhere,” says Labaki, whose latest film, the Oscar-nominated “Capernaum,” shed light on Beirut’s preexisting desperation. But as teams of volunteers clear rubble, feed survivors and try to rebuild — and the country’s “corrupt” government, Labaki points out, does the bare minimum — Lebanon’s most prominent filmmaker isn’t staying idle.
The only positive development since Aug. 4, when 2,750 tons of neglected ammonium nitrate detonated in the city’s port, leaving 190 dead, more than 6,500 injured and roughly 300,000 homeless, is that civil society and volunteers, many of whom are young Lebanese, have been working ceaselessly.
The fact that a network of unpaid workers “got...
“I don’t know where it’s going to lead, or if it will ever lead anywhere,” says Labaki, whose latest film, the Oscar-nominated “Capernaum,” shed light on Beirut’s preexisting desperation. But as teams of volunteers clear rubble, feed survivors and try to rebuild — and the country’s “corrupt” government, Labaki points out, does the bare minimum — Lebanon’s most prominent filmmaker isn’t staying idle.
The only positive development since Aug. 4, when 2,750 tons of neglected ammonium nitrate detonated in the city’s port, leaving 190 dead, more than 6,500 injured and roughly 300,000 homeless, is that civil society and volunteers, many of whom are young Lebanese, have been working ceaselessly.
The fact that a network of unpaid workers “got...
- 10/8/2020
- by Nick Vivarelli
- Variety Film + TV
To mark the release of Capernaum on 29th July, we’ve been given 2 copies to give away on DVD.
In a courtroom, a young boy named Zain (Zain Al Rafeea) stands before a judge. He asks to sue his own parents for giving him life. The circumstances that have brought him to this point take us on a journey through his poverty-stricken upbringing in Beirut where he lives with his family.
Forced to live by his wits in order to survive, Zain’s life reaches a turning point when his parents make an unforgivable deal that will see his younger sister married off. Left distraught by this terrible act, Zain takes to the road. While looking for work at a fairground, he befriends a young woman who is working illegally as a cleaner and helps to look after her adorable one-year-old baby, Jonas. Zain and Jonas form a touching bond...
In a courtroom, a young boy named Zain (Zain Al Rafeea) stands before a judge. He asks to sue his own parents for giving him life. The circumstances that have brought him to this point take us on a journey through his poverty-stricken upbringing in Beirut where he lives with his family.
Forced to live by his wits in order to survive, Zain’s life reaches a turning point when his parents make an unforgivable deal that will see his younger sister married off. Left distraught by this terrible act, Zain takes to the road. While looking for work at a fairground, he befriends a young woman who is working illegally as a cleaner and helps to look after her adorable one-year-old baby, Jonas. Zain and Jonas form a touching bond...
- 7/24/2019
- by Competitions
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
Capernaum, which roughly means chaos, is much more than a reductionist's vision of the vulnerability of children in a world of extreme poverty.
We have seen films about impoverished children right from Salaam Bombay to Slumdog Millionaire?to Liono?and a pack of Iranian films to boot. But this one, on the emotional quotient is very intense and almost unbearable to witness as it surpasses any other film seen earlier.
Narrated in a non-linear format and designed as a documentary, the director uses the courtroom trial as the framing device where a singularly focused, self-possessed Zain (Zain Al Rafeea), faces off for a crime he did and later sues his parents (Kawsar Al Haddad and Fadi Kamel Yousef) for neglect, abuse and for the crime of bringing him into this terrible world.
"I'm living in hell," that's how he describes his life to the judge.
Zain, a child close to adolescence,...
We have seen films about impoverished children right from Salaam Bombay to Slumdog Millionaire?to Liono?and a pack of Iranian films to boot. But this one, on the emotional quotient is very intense and almost unbearable to witness as it surpasses any other film seen earlier.
Narrated in a non-linear format and designed as a documentary, the director uses the courtroom trial as the framing device where a singularly focused, self-possessed Zain (Zain Al Rafeea), faces off for a crime he did and later sues his parents (Kawsar Al Haddad and Fadi Kamel Yousef) for neglect, abuse and for the crime of bringing him into this terrible world.
"I'm living in hell," that's how he describes his life to the judge.
Zain, a child close to adolescence,...
- 6/22/2019
- GlamSham
Both titles premiered at Cannes 2018.
Egyptian director A. B. Shawky’s road movie Yomeddine, about a leper who travels across Egypt in a bid to reconnect with his long-lost family, has scooped best film at the Arab cinema Critics Awards.
The film won the François Chalais Award and went onto tour a slew of festivals, winning the top prize in Tunisia’s Carthage Film Festival, following its premiere in Competition in Cannes last year.
Lebanese filmmaker Nadine Labaki won best director for her 2018 Cannes jury prize winner Capernaum, about the plight of a young refugee boy living in the slums of Beirut.
Egyptian director A. B. Shawky’s road movie Yomeddine, about a leper who travels across Egypt in a bid to reconnect with his long-lost family, has scooped best film at the Arab cinema Critics Awards.
The film won the François Chalais Award and went onto tour a slew of festivals, winning the top prize in Tunisia’s Carthage Film Festival, following its premiere in Competition in Cannes last year.
Lebanese filmmaker Nadine Labaki won best director for her 2018 Cannes jury prize winner Capernaum, about the plight of a young refugee boy living in the slums of Beirut.
- 5/18/2019
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
’Capernaum’ crosses $50m at intenational box office
Pokémon Detective Pikachu became the new international box office champion at the weekend as Sunday estimates showed it earned $103m compared to a $102.3m haul by Avengers: Endgame.
The films swapped places in the global box office rankings and were still very close. Endgame brought in a further $165.4m for $2.486bn, compared to Detective Pikachu’s $161m opening salvo. It also crossed $100m in the UK.
Meanwhile, Nadine Labaki’s Lebanese drama and Cannes 2018 Grand Jury Prize winner Capernaum crossed $50m through Wild Bunch licensees.
Warner Bros Pictures International
Detective Pikachu opened day-and-date with North America in 62 markets,...
Pokémon Detective Pikachu became the new international box office champion at the weekend as Sunday estimates showed it earned $103m compared to a $102.3m haul by Avengers: Endgame.
The films swapped places in the global box office rankings and were still very close. Endgame brought in a further $165.4m for $2.486bn, compared to Detective Pikachu’s $161m opening salvo. It also crossed $100m in the UK.
Meanwhile, Nadine Labaki’s Lebanese drama and Cannes 2018 Grand Jury Prize winner Capernaum crossed $50m through Wild Bunch licensees.
Warner Bros Pictures International
Detective Pikachu opened day-and-date with North America in 62 markets,...
- 5/12/2019
- by Jeremy Kay
- ScreenDaily
Nadine Labaki and A.B. Shawky’s films gained three nods each.
Two 2018 Cannes Palme d’Or contenders top the third edition of the Annual Critics Awards organised by the Arab Cinema Centre (Acc).
Lebanese filmmaker Nadine Labaki’s Capernaum and Egyptian director A. B. Shawky’s Yomeddine have both clinched three nominations.
Following with two nominations each are Palestinian filmmaker Muayad Alayan’s drama The Reports On Sarah And Saleem, about the ill-fated affair between an Israeli woman and a Palestinian man, and Moroccan director Meryem Benm’Barek’s Sofia, revolving around a woman in Casablanca who illegally gives birth out of wedlock.
Two 2018 Cannes Palme d’Or contenders top the third edition of the Annual Critics Awards organised by the Arab Cinema Centre (Acc).
Lebanese filmmaker Nadine Labaki’s Capernaum and Egyptian director A. B. Shawky’s Yomeddine have both clinched three nominations.
Following with two nominations each are Palestinian filmmaker Muayad Alayan’s drama The Reports On Sarah And Saleem, about the ill-fated affair between an Israeli woman and a Palestinian man, and Moroccan director Meryem Benm’Barek’s Sofia, revolving around a woman in Casablanca who illegally gives birth out of wedlock.
- 4/25/2019
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
There were a lot of film innovators in 2018, in front of and behind the camera. That long list includes first-time actors such as Henry Golding (“Crazy Rich Asians”), Yalitza Aparicio (“Roma”), and the ensemble in the Chloe Zhao-directed “The Rider.” There were also many first-time filmmakers, including Boots Riley (“Sorry to Bother You”), Aneesh Chaganty (“Searching”) and Lukas Dhont (“Girl”).
The list of groundbreakers also includes Bo Burnham (A24’s “Eighth Grade”) and Nadine Labaki (Sony Classics’ Oscar-nominated “Capernaum”). He’s an innovator because he transferred from standup performer to filmmaker; she took her directing talent a new direction, shaping the script with her first-time actors, shooting chronologically.
Burnham started as a YouTube sensation at age 16. A dozen years later, he won the DGA award for best first film, and “Eighth Grade” is nominated for four Indie Spirit Awards.
“I wasn’t one of those kids who ran around with the family camera,...
The list of groundbreakers also includes Bo Burnham (A24’s “Eighth Grade”) and Nadine Labaki (Sony Classics’ Oscar-nominated “Capernaum”). He’s an innovator because he transferred from standup performer to filmmaker; she took her directing talent a new direction, shaping the script with her first-time actors, shooting chronologically.
Burnham started as a YouTube sensation at age 16. A dozen years later, he won the DGA award for best first film, and “Eighth Grade” is nominated for four Indie Spirit Awards.
“I wasn’t one of those kids who ran around with the family camera,...
- 2/15/2019
- by Tim Gray
- Variety Film + TV
Zain Al Rafeea as Zain. Photo by Christopher Aoun, Courtesy of Sony Pictures Classics
The title of Lebanese drama Capernaum can be translated as “chaos,” a word that describes the life of young boy named Zain struggling to live on the bottom of society in modern Lebanon Zain (Zain Al Rafea), who is perhaps 12-years-old, is a penniless boy being held in a Lebanese jail for attacking a man but we first meet him in court for another reason: he is suing his parents for having been born. We are uncertain about Zain’s age, because he is uncertain about his age. Among his complaints about his self-centered parents is that they did not bother to register his birth, which means he has no birth certificate, no papers, and therefore does not officially exist. As a non-person, he is not entitled to even the most basic of social services, no matter how poor he is.
The title of Lebanese drama Capernaum can be translated as “chaos,” a word that describes the life of young boy named Zain struggling to live on the bottom of society in modern Lebanon Zain (Zain Al Rafea), who is perhaps 12-years-old, is a penniless boy being held in a Lebanese jail for attacking a man but we first meet him in court for another reason: he is suing his parents for having been born. We are uncertain about Zain’s age, because he is uncertain about his age. Among his complaints about his self-centered parents is that they did not bother to register his birth, which means he has no birth certificate, no papers, and therefore does not officially exist. As a non-person, he is not entitled to even the most basic of social services, no matter how poor he is.
- 2/1/2019
- by Cate Marquis
- WeAreMovieGeeks.com
by Nathaniel R
Nadine Labaki is three-for-three. Lebanon's most prominent filmmaker has seen all three of her films premiere at Cannes to considerable acclaim and go on to represent her country as Oscar submissions. The first two Caramel (2007) and Where Do We Go Now? (2011) became international arthouse hits. Her newest feature Capernaum, distributed by Sony Pictures Classics, recently began its platform release in the Us and will hopefully see the same warm reception. It's her best shot yet at an Oscar nomination, having made the finals in foreign film. Her Cannes jury prize winner focuses on the refugee crisis in Lebanon by focusing on one Syrian boy named Zain (played by Zain Al Rafeea) who is trying to survive on his own. It's a visceral must-see and should elevate Labaki's already healthy reputation as a world class director.
To my surprise, she isn't sure what she's doing next, admitting that...
Nadine Labaki is three-for-three. Lebanon's most prominent filmmaker has seen all three of her films premiere at Cannes to considerable acclaim and go on to represent her country as Oscar submissions. The first two Caramel (2007) and Where Do We Go Now? (2011) became international arthouse hits. Her newest feature Capernaum, distributed by Sony Pictures Classics, recently began its platform release in the Us and will hopefully see the same warm reception. It's her best shot yet at an Oscar nomination, having made the finals in foreign film. Her Cannes jury prize winner focuses on the refugee crisis in Lebanon by focusing on one Syrian boy named Zain (played by Zain Al Rafeea) who is trying to survive on his own. It's a visceral must-see and should elevate Labaki's already healthy reputation as a world class director.
To my surprise, she isn't sure what she's doing next, admitting that...
- 1/13/2019
- by NATHANIEL R
- FilmExperience
Chicago – One of the best films of 2018 is “Capernaum.” The title means “Chaos,” and co-writer/director Nadine Labaki certainly created a form of that action in the crazy quilt journey of the main character of Zain, an undocumented immigrant boy in Lebanon. From a story that takes us from his street survival to a court of law… suing his parents, “Capernaum” is a multi-layered masterpiece.
The film is framed by the trial. Zain, portrayed with amazing purpose by the similarly named Zain Al Rafeea, is a boy who felt that he shouldn’t have been born into his family of poor Syrian refugees in Lebanon, and sues his parents on that basis. His only respite in the family was with his beloved sister Sahar. When she was sold into marriage, Zain ran away, only to end up in the streets. An African woman with a baby took pity on him,...
The film is framed by the trial. Zain, portrayed with amazing purpose by the similarly named Zain Al Rafeea, is a boy who felt that he shouldn’t have been born into his family of poor Syrian refugees in Lebanon, and sues his parents on that basis. His only respite in the family was with his beloved sister Sahar. When she was sold into marriage, Zain ran away, only to end up in the streets. An African woman with a baby took pity on him,...
- 1/5/2019
- by adam@hollywoodchicago.com (Adam Fendelman)
- HollywoodChicago.com
Dec. 6 felt a bit like déjà-vu for one director: Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck, whose German film “Never Look Away” landed just one of five berths in the Golden Globes foreign-language film category, along with fellow nominees “Shoplifters” (Japan), “Capernaum” (Lebanon), “Girl” (Belgium) and “Roma” (Mexico).
“We’re not even five hours from the announcement, and I’m getting emails and calls from all over the world,” he marvels. “A film can remain invisible without help like this from such a powerful organization. The Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. gives it a voice.”
Von Donnersmarck knows what a Globe nomination in that category can mean for good reason: A dozen years ago, his film “The Lives of Others” also earned a Globe nomination, then went on to win the Academy Award for foreign-language film. But such nominations and wins tend to spotlight directors. Actors are relegated to the background — because barring the...
“We’re not even five hours from the announcement, and I’m getting emails and calls from all over the world,” he marvels. “A film can remain invisible without help like this from such a powerful organization. The Hollywood Foreign Press Assn. gives it a voice.”
Von Donnersmarck knows what a Globe nomination in that category can mean for good reason: A dozen years ago, his film “The Lives of Others” also earned a Globe nomination, then went on to win the Academy Award for foreign-language film. But such nominations and wins tend to spotlight directors. Actors are relegated to the background — because barring the...
- 1/4/2019
- by Randee Dawn
- Variety Film + TV
Please welcome new contributor Abe Fried-Tanzer
Two years ago, despite over a dozen submissions since 1978, Lebanon hadn’t had a film nominated for the Oscar for Best Foreign Film. Now, the small Middle Eastern country is looking at a likely second consecutive nomination. The Insult was a powerful portrait of two adult men divided by hate and behaving like children. Capernaum, equally compelling, spotlights the opposite: a child acting like an adult, seemingly far more capable of understanding the world for what it is than the actual grown-ups in his life.
The sensational description of this film’s plot focuses on its approximately twelve-year-old protagonist Zain (Zain Al Rafeea) suing his parents for giving birth to him. That summary may conjure up courtroom drama, but that’s far from the truth of the film which takes place on merciless streets. Instead, Capernaum provides a layered look at what it means...
Two years ago, despite over a dozen submissions since 1978, Lebanon hadn’t had a film nominated for the Oscar for Best Foreign Film. Now, the small Middle Eastern country is looking at a likely second consecutive nomination. The Insult was a powerful portrait of two adult men divided by hate and behaving like children. Capernaum, equally compelling, spotlights the opposite: a child acting like an adult, seemingly far more capable of understanding the world for what it is than the actual grown-ups in his life.
The sensational description of this film’s plot focuses on its approximately twelve-year-old protagonist Zain (Zain Al Rafeea) suing his parents for giving birth to him. That summary may conjure up courtroom drama, but that’s far from the truth of the film which takes place on merciless streets. Instead, Capernaum provides a layered look at what it means...
- 1/4/2019
- by Abe Fried-Tanzer
- FilmExperience
To celebrate the Golden Globe nomination for international film for Nadine Labaki’s provocative powerhouse feature ‘Capernaum’, a new UK poster has been released.
The Lebanese drama which received a 15-minute standing ovation following its premiere at Cannes on 17 May 2018, went on to become the Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. Nadine Labaki’s Capernaum tells the story of Zain (Zain al Rafeea), a Lebanese boy who sues his parents for the “crime” of giving him life.
The film was made with a cast of non-professionals playing characters whose lives closely parallel their own. Following her script, Labaki placed her performers in scenes and asked them to react spontaneously with their own words and gestures. When the non-actors’ instincts diverged from the written script, Labaki adapted the screenplay to follow them.
The film will see special previews from February 1st and a UK wide release on February 22nd.
The Lebanese drama which received a 15-minute standing ovation following its premiere at Cannes on 17 May 2018, went on to become the Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival. Nadine Labaki’s Capernaum tells the story of Zain (Zain al Rafeea), a Lebanese boy who sues his parents for the “crime” of giving him life.
The film was made with a cast of non-professionals playing characters whose lives closely parallel their own. Following her script, Labaki placed her performers in scenes and asked them to react spontaneously with their own words and gestures. When the non-actors’ instincts diverged from the written script, Labaki adapted the screenplay to follow them.
The film will see special previews from February 1st and a UK wide release on February 22nd.
- 12/19/2018
- by Zehra Phelan
- HeyUGuys.co.uk
For the first of two review round-ups to tackle this week, we’ve got a foreign film threesome to dive into! It’s also a bit of catching up, as two titles have opened already this past weekend. The trio here today happens to be the Lebanese outing Capernaum, the Polish film Cold War, and the Norwegian flick The Quake. These movies each offer something very different, though each do their jobs quite well. All three get the thumbs up from me today, to different degrees, but they’re each quality outings. Tomorrow will be a more mixed, if higher profile, bag, so stay tuned for that. For now though, we can dive into these three foreign titles… Here we go: — Capernaum To make an “issue film” is to proclaim that you have something to say. The danger here is that, sometimes, a movie can come off as preachy. Luckily,...
- 12/19/2018
- by Joey Magidson
- Hollywoodnews.com
Capernaum (Capharnaüm) director Nadine Labaki on Zain al Rafeea: "He knows the violence of the streets, he knows abuse, he knows mistreatment." Photo: Anne-Katrin Titze
Nadine Labaki's Capernaum (Capharnaüm), Lebanon's Oscar entry and Cannes Film Festival winner of the Ecumenical and Jury Prize, and the Prix de la Citoyenneté, is executive produced by Susan Rockefeller and Joslyn Barnes (Lucrecia Martel's Zama), Joana Vicente and Jason Kliot, Candice Abela-Mikati (David Robert Mitchell's Under The Silver Lake), Danny Glover and others, with associate producer Anne-Dominique Toussaint.
Nadine Labaki on Yordanos Shifera as Rahil: "She had run away from her employer."
Capernaum, shot by Christopher Aoun, has a great performance from Zain al Rafeea with Yordanos Shiferaw, Boluwatife Treasure Bankole, Fadi Youssef, Kawthar al Haddad, Elias Khoury, Joseph Jimbazian, Haita 'Cedra' Izam, and Nadine Labaki as the lawyer for Zain.
Capernaum intercuts between Zain's (Zain al Rafeea) life on the streets and scenes in a courtroom,...
Nadine Labaki's Capernaum (Capharnaüm), Lebanon's Oscar entry and Cannes Film Festival winner of the Ecumenical and Jury Prize, and the Prix de la Citoyenneté, is executive produced by Susan Rockefeller and Joslyn Barnes (Lucrecia Martel's Zama), Joana Vicente and Jason Kliot, Candice Abela-Mikati (David Robert Mitchell's Under The Silver Lake), Danny Glover and others, with associate producer Anne-Dominique Toussaint.
Nadine Labaki on Yordanos Shifera as Rahil: "She had run away from her employer."
Capernaum, shot by Christopher Aoun, has a great performance from Zain al Rafeea with Yordanos Shiferaw, Boluwatife Treasure Bankole, Fadi Youssef, Kawthar al Haddad, Elias Khoury, Joseph Jimbazian, Haita 'Cedra' Izam, and Nadine Labaki as the lawyer for Zain.
Capernaum intercuts between Zain's (Zain al Rafeea) life on the streets and scenes in a courtroom,...
- 12/16/2018
- by Anne-Katrin Titze
- eyeforfilm.co.uk
It shouldn’t be a surprise that Nadine Labaki’s third feature film has moved from the Jury Prize at Cannes to a Golden Globe nomination for Best Foreign Film. While its Us release this month marks a span of seven years since her breakthrough Tiff People’s Choice Award-winning Where Do We Go Now?, the Toronto audience I saw Capernaum with (my review) hadn’t forgotten the magic they were soon to experience again.
Capernaum is an affecting drama with an authentically disarming humor courtesy of newcomer Zain Al Rafeea—a refugee. It tracks the desperation, ingenuity, and anguish he endures in order to survive a life he didn’t ask for—one he’s willing to sue his parents in court for forcing him to live. His journey draws on the complex and harrowing existence too many face today, highlighting the true cost of humanity’s selfishly irredeemable decisions.
Capernaum is an affecting drama with an authentically disarming humor courtesy of newcomer Zain Al Rafeea—a refugee. It tracks the desperation, ingenuity, and anguish he endures in order to survive a life he didn’t ask for—one he’s willing to sue his parents in court for forcing him to live. His journey draws on the complex and harrowing existence too many face today, highlighting the true cost of humanity’s selfishly irredeemable decisions.
- 12/14/2018
- by Jared Mobarak
- The Film Stage
In a year of exceptionally fine foreign-language films (Roma, Burning, Cold War, Shoplifters), Capernaum has a way to go to earn a spot in that major league. But the film has an undeniable emotional pull. Leabnese filmmaker Nadine Labaki takes to the slums of Beirut to follow the plight of Zain (Zain Al Rafeea), a 12-year-old boy doing five years in jail for stabbing a so-called “son of a bitch.” Zain has another agenda now: He wants to sue his parents for bringing him into the world in the first place.
- 12/13/2018
- by Peter Travers
- Rollingstone.com
Zain (Zain Al Rafeea) is an abrasive, unkempt boy of either 12 or 13 years old. Neither he nor his parents quite know his age for sure. His parents’ neglect is only part of the reason why Zain wants to sue them for bringing him into this world without a care. He hopes to stop them from having any more neglected children like himself or his beloved sister, Sahar (Cedra Izam), who they sold into an early marriage. Yet this is still only the beginning of Zain’s sad story.
Nadine Labaki’s “Capernaum” is a brutally honest — sometimes difficult to watch — drama about neglected children. Some, like Zain, are the innocent victims of a bad situation, joining a big family already burdened with an absurdly small income. Others are the victims of circumstance, like when a hardworking, caring Ethiopian migrant, Rahil (Yordanos Shiferaw), is arrested for her expired (and forged) paperwork.
Nadine Labaki’s “Capernaum” is a brutally honest — sometimes difficult to watch — drama about neglected children. Some, like Zain, are the innocent victims of a bad situation, joining a big family already burdened with an absurdly small income. Others are the victims of circumstance, like when a hardworking, caring Ethiopian migrant, Rahil (Yordanos Shiferaw), is arrested for her expired (and forged) paperwork.
- 12/13/2018
- by Monica Castillo
- The Wrap
Capernaum (Chaos) Sony Pictures Classics Reviewed for Shockya.com by: Harvey Karten Director: Nadine Labaki Screenwriter: Nadine Labaki, Jihad Hojeilly, Michelle Keserwany, in collaboration with Georges Khabbaz and with the participation of Khaled Mouzanar Cast: Zain Al Rafeea, Yordanos Shiferaw, Boluwatife Treasure Bankole, Kawthar Al Haddad Screened at: Sony, NYC, 11/28/18 Opens: December 14, 2018 Next […]
The post Capernaum Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
The post Capernaum Movie Review appeared first on Shockya.com.
- 11/30/2018
- by Harvey Karten
- ShockYa
Nadine Labaki was compelled to make “Capernaum” after witnessing “children on the streets, either children begging, or children working, or children who are deprived of their most basic rights. It’s something that lots of children around the world are struggling with right now, and I think I’m not the only one being moved by it. I just felt a need to express it.” Watch our exclusive video interview above.
See ‘Capernaum’ filmmakers tell Oscar voters in NYC about the plight of ‘kids on the street’ in Lebanon: ‘It’s real. It’s difficult’
This Sony Pictures Classics release centers on Zain (Zain Al Rafeea), a 12-year-old Lebanese boy living in extreme poverty with several siblings. When he runs away from home he’s taken in by an Ethiopian refugee (Yordanos Shiferaw) and is forced to care for her infant son (Boluwatife Treasure Bankole) after she’s detained. He...
See ‘Capernaum’ filmmakers tell Oscar voters in NYC about the plight of ‘kids on the street’ in Lebanon: ‘It’s real. It’s difficult’
This Sony Pictures Classics release centers on Zain (Zain Al Rafeea), a 12-year-old Lebanese boy living in extreme poverty with several siblings. When he runs away from home he’s taken in by an Ethiopian refugee (Yordanos Shiferaw) and is forced to care for her infant son (Boluwatife Treasure Bankole) after she’s detained. He...
- 11/21/2018
- by Zach Laws
- Gold Derby
At the Academy’s Governor’s Ball this past weekend, Nadine Labaki, the director of Lebanon’s Oscar foreign language submission “Capernaum,” said she witnessed her child star Zain Al Rafeea sign his name for what would’ve been one of the first times in his life.
Zain is a Syrian refugee who was living in Lebanon for eight years when Labaki found him. He was 12 at the time of shooting “Capernaum” but then did not know how to read or write. Today, Labaki informs that Zain is safe and resettled with loving parents in Norway. And he finally put his newfound skills to good use when he got to visit Los Angeles and even see the Beverly Hills Hilton.
“He’s seen so much in his life, nothing really impresses him anymore. He’s very tough, a very wise child,” Labaki told Sharon Waxman Monday as part of TheWrap...
Zain is a Syrian refugee who was living in Lebanon for eight years when Labaki found him. He was 12 at the time of shooting “Capernaum” but then did not know how to read or write. Today, Labaki informs that Zain is safe and resettled with loving parents in Norway. And he finally put his newfound skills to good use when he got to visit Los Angeles and even see the Beverly Hills Hilton.
“He’s seen so much in his life, nothing really impresses him anymore. He’s very tough, a very wise child,” Labaki told Sharon Waxman Monday as part of TheWrap...
- 11/20/2018
- by Brian Welk
- The Wrap
The 17th Marrakech International Film Festival (Nov 30 – Dec 08) has set a jury comprising Suspiria star Dakota Johnson, Indian actress Ileana D’Cruz (Barfi!), Lebanese filmmaker and visual artist Joana Hadjithomas (I Want To See), Brit director Lynne Ramsay (We Need To Talk About Kevin), Moroccan director Tala Hadid (House In The Fields), French director Laurent Cantet (The Class), German actor Daniel Brühl (Rush) and Mexican director Michel Franco (April’s Daughter). As previously revealed, director James Gray will serve as jury president.
A total of 80 films will unspool at the festival, with Julian Schnabel’s Van Gogh biopic At Eternity’s Gate among gala screenings and also the festival’s opener. Other galas include Roma, Green Book and Capernaum while special screenings include Wildlife, Her Smell and Birds Of Passage. The official competition, galas and special screenings are listed below.
The festival will also feature tributes to Robert DeNiro, Robin Wright,...
A total of 80 films will unspool at the festival, with Julian Schnabel’s Van Gogh biopic At Eternity’s Gate among gala screenings and also the festival’s opener. Other galas include Roma, Green Book and Capernaum while special screenings include Wildlife, Her Smell and Birds Of Passage. The official competition, galas and special screenings are listed below.
The festival will also feature tributes to Robert DeNiro, Robin Wright,...
- 11/19/2018
- by Andreas Wiseman
- Deadline Film + TV
Capernaum Trailer Nadine Labaki‘s Capernaum (2018) movie trailer stars Zain al Rafeea, Yordanos Shiferaw, Boluwatife Treasure Bankole, Kawsar Al Haddad, and Fadi Yousef. Capernaum‘s plot synopsis: “Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, Nadine Labaki’s Capernaum (“Chaos”) tells the story of Zain (Zain al Rafeea), a Lebanese boy who sues his [...]
Continue reading: Capernaum (2018) U.S. Movie Trailer: Zain al Rafeea Sues His Parents to Stop Them From Having More Kids...
Continue reading: Capernaum (2018) U.S. Movie Trailer: Zain al Rafeea Sues His Parents to Stop Them From Having More Kids...
- 11/7/2018
- by Rollo Tomasi
- Film-Book
Audience reactions at the Cannes Film Festival aren’t always the best indicator of a film’s quality — many of the best films have inspired walk-outs — but a 15-minute standing ovation tends to bode pretty well. For “Capernaum,” Nadine Labaki’s Beirut-set drama which just released its first official trailer, that standing ovation catapulted the film to the top of the competition heap, eventually earning it the Jury Prize at the annual summer festival.
The film, according to the official synopsis, “tells the story of Zain (Zain al Rafeea), a Lebanese boy who sues his parents for the ‘crime’ of giving him life. A gutsy streetwise child as he flees his negligent parents, [Zain] survives through his wits on the streets, takes care of Ethiopian refugee Rahil (Yordanos Shiferaw) and her baby son, Yonas (Boluwatife Treasure Bankole), being jailed for a crime, and finally, seeks justice in a courtroom.”
Labaki used...
The film, according to the official synopsis, “tells the story of Zain (Zain al Rafeea), a Lebanese boy who sues his parents for the ‘crime’ of giving him life. A gutsy streetwise child as he flees his negligent parents, [Zain] survives through his wits on the streets, takes care of Ethiopian refugee Rahil (Yordanos Shiferaw) and her baby son, Yonas (Boluwatife Treasure Bankole), being jailed for a crime, and finally, seeks justice in a courtroom.”
Labaki used...
- 11/6/2018
- by Jude Dry
- Indiewire
Nadine Labaki made “Capernaum,” her arresting new drama about a young boy who sues his parents for giving birth to him, after observing the soul-crushing poverty around her in Beirut. She wondered what happened to the children she saw begging on the streets or working dead end jobs as delivery boys or assistants in mechanic shops. Many, she suspected, were refugees, fleeing various conflicts across the Middle East, often without any kind of documentation.
“We ignore them,” Labaki told Variety. “We act like they’re nonexistent when they’re here because of our wars and our conflicts and the stupid decisions of failing governments. I needed to understand what happens when one of these boys I saw on the streets disappears around the corner.”
So Labaki spent months researching the situation, speaking to families who were struggling to find food and shelter, and people faced with impossible choices. At the...
“We ignore them,” Labaki told Variety. “We act like they’re nonexistent when they’re here because of our wars and our conflicts and the stupid decisions of failing governments. I needed to understand what happens when one of these boys I saw on the streets disappears around the corner.”
So Labaki spent months researching the situation, speaking to families who were struggling to find food and shelter, and people faced with impossible choices. At the...
- 11/6/2018
- by Brent Lang
- Variety Film + TV
AFI Fest’s World Cinema section unveiled Tuesday includes seven films that have been officially submitted for the Foreign Language Film Oscar, from Nadine Labaki’s Capernaum and Matteo Garrone’s Dogman to Florian Henckel von Donnersmarck’s Never Look Away and the Cannes Palme d’Or-winning Shoplifters by Hirokazu Kore-eda. Directors in the slate include Jafar Panahi, Jia Zhang-ke, Hong Sang-soo, Olivier Assayas, Carlos Reygadas, László Nemes and Nuri Bilge Ceylan.
The lineup includes 28 titles from 27 countries. The fest runs November 8-15 and opens with the Ruth Bader Ginsburg biopic On the Basis of Sex and closes with Josie Rourke’s Mary Queen of Scots. In the mix too are a host of gala presentations featuring Bird Box, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, Widows, Green Book and Destroyer. The latter pic will be screened as part of a tribute to its star Nicole Kidman.
Here’s the full World...
The lineup includes 28 titles from 27 countries. The fest runs November 8-15 and opens with the Ruth Bader Ginsburg biopic On the Basis of Sex and closes with Josie Rourke’s Mary Queen of Scots. In the mix too are a host of gala presentations featuring Bird Box, The Ballad of Buster Scruggs, Widows, Green Book and Destroyer. The latter pic will be screened as part of a tribute to its star Nicole Kidman.
Here’s the full World...
- 10/16/2018
- by Patrick Hipes
- Deadline Film + TV
Other winners included Derek Doneen’s The Price Of Free and Samal Yeslyamova for her performance in Ayka.
Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi’s drama 3 Faces scooped the top prize at the 55th edition of International Antalya Film Festival (Sept 29-Oct 5) last weekend.
The feature, which premiered in competition at Cannes where it won the prize for best screenplay, was feted with Antalya’s Golden Orange award and $53,000 cash prize for best film.
The director, who is currently under house arrest in Iran, participated in the awards ceremony via a video-link.
Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda won the $25,000 Golden Orange prize for...
Iranian filmmaker Jafar Panahi’s drama 3 Faces scooped the top prize at the 55th edition of International Antalya Film Festival (Sept 29-Oct 5) last weekend.
The feature, which premiered in competition at Cannes where it won the prize for best screenplay, was feted with Antalya’s Golden Orange award and $53,000 cash prize for best film.
The director, who is currently under house arrest in Iran, participated in the awards ceremony via a video-link.
Japanese director Hirokazu Kore-eda won the $25,000 Golden Orange prize for...
- 10/11/2018
- by Melanie Goodfellow
- ScreenDaily
Featuring a bevy of films which first wowed audiences at Cannes, Turkey’s Antalya Film Festival wrapped on Friday Oct. 5 with a crowded awards ceremony and a closing screening of “The Man Who Killed Don Quixote” held at the Glass Pyramid.
Jafar Panahi’s “Three Faces” scooped top honors in a bittersweet win; the famed Iranian new wave filmmaker is currently serving a 20-year filmmaking and travel ban following a dispute which culminated in charges of “Colluding with the intention to commit crimes against the country’s national security and propaganda against the Islamic Republic.”
Despite the ban the filmmaker’s output has not halted, and four films made since the ban’s implementation have screened at major festivals such as Cannes and Berlin. “Three Faces” follows three actresses from different generations at different stages of their careers and was described in a glowing Variety review as “empathetic and engaging.
Jafar Panahi’s “Three Faces” scooped top honors in a bittersweet win; the famed Iranian new wave filmmaker is currently serving a 20-year filmmaking and travel ban following a dispute which culminated in charges of “Colluding with the intention to commit crimes against the country’s national security and propaganda against the Islamic Republic.”
Despite the ban the filmmaker’s output has not halted, and four films made since the ban’s implementation have screened at major festivals such as Cannes and Berlin. “Three Faces” follows three actresses from different generations at different stages of their careers and was described in a glowing Variety review as “empathetic and engaging.
- 10/9/2018
- by Jamie Lang
- Variety Film + TV
Screen’s regularly updated list of foreign language Oscar submissions.
Nominations for the 91st Academy Awards are not until Tuesday January 22, but the first submissions for best foreign-language film are now being announced.
Last year saw a record 92 submissions for the award, which were narrowed down to a shortlist of nine. This was cut to five nominees, with Sebastián Lelio’s transgender drama A Fantastic Woman ultimately taking home the gold statue.
Screen’s interview with Mark Johnson, chair of the Academy’s foreign-language film committee, explains the shortlisting process from submission to voting.
Submitted films must be released theatrically...
Nominations for the 91st Academy Awards are not until Tuesday January 22, but the first submissions for best foreign-language film are now being announced.
Last year saw a record 92 submissions for the award, which were narrowed down to a shortlist of nine. This was cut to five nominees, with Sebastián Lelio’s transgender drama A Fantastic Woman ultimately taking home the gold statue.
Screen’s interview with Mark Johnson, chair of the Academy’s foreign-language film committee, explains the shortlisting process from submission to voting.
Submitted films must be released theatrically...
- 9/19/2018
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
Lebanon has selected Capharnaum as its submission for consideration in the best foreign-language film category at the Oscars.
Directed by Nadine Labaki, the drama, which features mostly non-professional actors, tells the story of a child who launches a lawsuit against his parents.
"[Labaki]'s made up a grab bag of ideas and plot elements that work surprisingly effectively as a melodrama with a message. Several messages, in fact, all illustrated through the ordeals suffered by 12-year-old Zain (Zain Al Rafeea), a child fighting to survive in the slums and shanty towns of Lebanon," The Hollywood Reporter's Leslie ...
Directed by Nadine Labaki, the drama, which features mostly non-professional actors, tells the story of a child who launches a lawsuit against his parents.
"[Labaki]'s made up a grab bag of ideas and plot elements that work surprisingly effectively as a melodrama with a message. Several messages, in fact, all illustrated through the ordeals suffered by 12-year-old Zain (Zain Al Rafeea), a child fighting to survive in the slums and shanty towns of Lebanon," The Hollywood Reporter's Leslie ...
- 9/19/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Film + TV
Lebanon has selected Capharnaum as its submission for consideration in the best foreign-language film category at the Oscars.
Directed by Nadine Labaki, the drama, which features mostly non-professional actors, tells the story of a child who launches a lawsuit against his parents.
"[Labaki]'s made up a grab bag of ideas and plot elements that work surprisingly effectively as a melodrama with a message. Several messages, in fact, all illustrated through the ordeals suffered by 12-year-old Zain (Zain Al Rafeea), a child fighting to survive in the slums and shanty towns of Lebanon," The Hollywood Reporter's Leslie ...
Directed by Nadine Labaki, the drama, which features mostly non-professional actors, tells the story of a child who launches a lawsuit against his parents.
"[Labaki]'s made up a grab bag of ideas and plot elements that work surprisingly effectively as a melodrama with a message. Several messages, in fact, all illustrated through the ordeals suffered by 12-year-old Zain (Zain Al Rafeea), a child fighting to survive in the slums and shanty towns of Lebanon," The Hollywood Reporter's Leslie ...
- 9/19/2018
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Screen’s regularly updated list of foreign language Oscar submissions.
Nominations for the 91st Academy Awards are not until Tuesday January 22, but the first submissions for best foreign-language film are now being announced.
Last year saw a record 92 submissions for the award, which were narrowed down to a shortlist of nine. This was cut to five nominees, with Sebastián Lelio’s transgender drama A Fantastic Woman ultimately taking home the gold statue.
Screen’s interview with Mark Johnson, chair of the Academy’s foreign-language film committee, explains the shortlisting process from submission to voting.
Submitted films must be released theatrically...
Nominations for the 91st Academy Awards are not until Tuesday January 22, but the first submissions for best foreign-language film are now being announced.
Last year saw a record 92 submissions for the award, which were narrowed down to a shortlist of nine. This was cut to five nominees, with Sebastián Lelio’s transgender drama A Fantastic Woman ultimately taking home the gold statue.
Screen’s interview with Mark Johnson, chair of the Academy’s foreign-language film committee, explains the shortlisting process from submission to voting.
Submitted films must be released theatrically...
- 9/18/2018
- by Ben Dalton
- ScreenDaily
The synopsis doesn’t lie. Young Zain (Zain Al Rafeea) is in prison, his five-year sentence just put into effect. He has no papers despite being born in Lebanon and thus a doctor must estimate his age by his lack of baby teeth as twelve. Yet here he is anyway for a crime his mother dismisses “childish,” a label the judge scoffs at considering the length of his term. It’s no wonder then that Zain has called this latest trial to sue his parents for neglect. Worse than that, his reasoning turns more heartbreaking when he blames them for letting him be born. Born into a house smuggling drugs into that same jail for money. Born into a family with more kids then you can count. Born into a life that’s over as soon as it begins.
While this might be the premise behind Nadine Labaki’s Capernaum,...
While this might be the premise behind Nadine Labaki’s Capernaum,...
- 9/9/2018
- by Jared Mobarak
- The Film Stage
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