Biography

Born in Lebanon, Nadine Labaki passed her baccalaureate in Beirut in 1992.

She obtained a degree in audiovisual studies at Saint Joseph University in Beirut (IESAV), directing her graduation film, 11 Rue Pasteur, in 1997, which won the Best Short Film Award at the Biennale of Arab Cinema at the Institute du Monde Arabe (Paris) in 1998.

She then directed adverts and many music videos for celebrated Middle Eastern singers, for which she won several awards in 2002 and 2003.

In 2004, she took part in the Festival de Cannes Residence to finish writing Caramel, her first feature film which she shot in 2006.

Caramel screened in Directors’ Fortnight in Cannes in 2007 and was a commercial success in France in the summer of that year. The film sold worldwide.

In 2008 the French Ministry of Culture and Communication gave her the Insignia of Chevalier in the Order of Arts and Letters.

In 2010, Labaki directed and starred in her second feature film, Where Do We Go Now? The film humorously tackles a delicate subject about a village in which church and mosque stand side by side as women try to keep their blowhard men from starting a religious war.

The film also premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in the "Un Certain Regard" category in 2011. The film won the Cadillac people’s choice award at the Toronto International Film Festival. It also collected many other awards in festivals around the world, like Cannes Film Festival, San Sebastián International Film Festival, Stockholm Film Festival. The film was also nominated for the best foreign film at the Critics Choice Awards in Los Angeles.

In 2016, Nadine Labaki started work on her third feature film called “Cafarnaúm” (Capernaum) which was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at 2018 Cannes Film Festival. She intends to use mostly non-professional actors for this film, similar to her past works.

Labaki's style of cinematography uses cinematic conventions, such as illuminations, atmosphere lighting, and silence to help convey the meaning in her films. Despite the often dangerous political situations Labaki continues to write and direct films that do not focus on conflict.

She was selected to be on the jury for the Un Certain Regard section of the 2015 Cannes Film Festival.

Following the success of her third feature, Capernaum, which won the Jury Prize at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, Creative Artists Agency (CAA) signed Labaki in all areas, but she continues to be represented in France by Art Media Agency.

2019 - Nadine Labaki awarded for her film “Capharnaum” the Prize of German Movie Award.

Mentioned in the book: Creative Lives

نادين لبكي تحصد جوائز في مهرجان كان الدولي
بعد الإقبال الشديد الذي لاقاه الفيلم العربي الوحيد المشارك في المسابقة الرسمية لمهرجان كان "وهلأ لوين" للمخرجة اللبنانية نادين لبكي
حازت لبكي بجائزتين جائزة "فرانسوا شاليه" التي تعطى كل سنة لأفضل عمل روائي طويل في مهرجان كان الدولي حيث يكون المؤلف أبدع في إبراز حقيقة عالمية.
وتنويه لجنة التحكيم لجائزة أوكومينيك

يذكر أن الفيلم سيعرض بعواصم عالمية عديدة أولها لبنان

During Nadine stay and participation in Cannes Film Festival

نهار الإثنين 16 ايار 2011 كان للبنان والعالم العربي مكانه على السجادة الحمراء في المهرجان الأول الدولي للسببنما مهرجان كان حيث صعدت المخرجة اللبنانية نادين لبكي وفريق عملها أدراج قصر كان تحت عدسات المصورين العالميين والعرب.
قدمت لبكي باكورتها الثانية "وهلأ لوين" في فئة "نظرة ما" وكان خطابها دعوة للتصالح والمحبة والسلام كما هي رسالة الفيلم .

يذكر أن "وهلأ لوين" هو الفيلم العربي الوحيد المشارك ضمن إحدى المسابقات الرسمية للمهرجان هذا العام .

69 Festival du Film de Venise 2012

Nadine Labaki présidente du jury officiel -longs métrages du Festival International du Film Francophone de Namur - Belgique - (27 Septembre - 4 Octobre 2013)
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Apres ses diverses participations en tant que membre du jury, dans des festivals internationaux, dont le festival international du film de Venise - Italie, Le Festival international du film de Saint-Sébastien, Espagne, le Festival du film de Sundance - Etats Unis.

Créé en 1986, le Festival International du Film Francophone de Namur, est un événement culturel incontournable et attendu, attirant aussi bien un large public qu’un grand nombre de professionnels. Le FIFF présente sa 28ème édition cette année.

Nadine Labaki avait deja participé a ce festival avec ses deux longs métrages, "Caramel" et "Et maintenant on va ou?" qui a gagne 3 prix en 2011 dont le Bayrad d'Or du meilleur film, décerné par le président du jury a l'époque le réalisateur Abdellatif Kechich, dont le film "La vie d'Adele" - (Palme d'or du festival de Cannes 2013), qui sera le film d'ouverture de cette édition.

Nadine Labaki participating in The ransom of glory by Xavier Beauvois at The 71st Venice International Film Festival

The 71st Venice International Film Festival, which runs from Aug 27 to Sept 6, has announced nineteen world premieres to compete in the main competition.
Highlights include Xavier Beauvois widely predicted Of Gods and Men follow up, The Ransom Of Glory, the once Cannes official selection.

The ransom of glory by Xavier Beauvois with Lebanese actress and director Nadine Labaki besides international actors Benoît Poelvoorde (Belgium), Roschdy Zem (Algeria), Peter Coyote (USA) and Chaira Mastroanni (Italy).

Synopsis

In the late 70s in Vevey, a small town on the Lake of Geneva, Eddy Ricaart released from prison headed to his friend's house Osman Bricha.

Osman hosted Eddy to take care of his seven-year-old daughter, while his wife was admitted to the hospital. The duo was broke when Eddy knew about the death of the comedian Charlie Chaplin, he decided to steal his coffin and ransom the Chaplin family...

Nadine directing, Photo by Rudy Bou Chebel

Capture from the movie "Where do we go now" Photo by Rudy Bou Chebel

Capture from the movie "Where do we go now"

Capture from the movie "Where do we go now"