Lebanese Filmmaker Nadine Labaki seems to be unstoppable as she gets named the president of the jury for Un Certain Regard in Cannes. The festival described her work as, heart and mind moving with her Academy Award and Golden Globe-nominated film Capharnaüm.
The movie is a heart-wrenching drama movie about a 12-year old boy in Beirut who takes his parents to court for giving him life in a world of pain and suffering. Capharnaüm was described by Steven Spielberg as one of the best films he’d seen last year.
The movie Capharnaüm competed for the Palme d’Or at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, where it won the Jury Prize. The film received a 15-minute standing ovation following its premiere at Cannes. To put a cherry on the movie’s top, the Lebanese star received an Oscar nomination for the Best Foreign Language Film award.
Labaki succeeds Benicio Del Toro as president of the jury of the Un Certain Regard sidebar. “Today, I am the president of the Un Certain Regard Jury, which just goes to show that sometimes life can be even better than your dreams,” the filmmaker said. “I can’t wait to see the films in the selection. I can’t wait to debate and discuss, to be shaken up, to find inspiration in other artists’ work.”
The Un Certain Regard official selection presents 20 films that deserve recognition for shedding light on topics that deserve international attention. It’s worth mentioning that Labaki is the first Arab to head the committee.