Nadine Labaki

Nadine Labaki
Labaki in 2012
Native name نادين لبكي
Born (1974-02-18) February 18, 1974
Baabdat, Lebanon[1]
Occupation Actress, director
Years active 1997–present
Spouse(s) Khaled Mouzanar
Children 2
Website www.nadinelabaki.com

Nadine Labaki (Arabic: نادين لبكي‎; born February 18, 1974) is a Lebanese actress and director.

Biography

Early life

Nadine Labaki spent the first seventeen years of her life, living in a war torn environment, by 1991 the civil war in Lebanon had ended.[2] She began her career with Studio El Fan, a Lebanese talent show, in 1990. The show aired during the 1970s, which continued through to the early 2000s. At the talent show, Labaki won a prize for directing various music video productions.[3]

Labaki obtained a degree in audiovisual studies at Saint Joseph University in Beirut. In 1997, she directed her graduation film, 11 Rue Pasteur, which won the Best Short Film Award at the Biennale of Arab Cinema at the Arab World Institute in Paris. Labaki is unique among her fellow Lebanese and Arab Film Makers in that she was not educated or trained abroad.[4]

In 1998, she attended a workshop in acting at the Cours Florent in Paris. She went on to direct advertisements and music videos for renowned Middle Eastern singers, for which she won several awards.

As a director

Labaki in 2007

In 2003, Labaki's name began to become more popular within the Arab media. 2003 was also the year when she began directing music videos for singer Nancy Ajram. The song, "Akhasmak ah" (I'll taunt you), sparked controversy due to the nudity presented and its sexually explicit dancing.[5]

In 2005, Labaki took part in the Cannes Film Festival Residence for six months, during that time, she wrote Caramel, her first feature film. In 2006, she directed and played one of the leading roles in Caramel, which showcases a Beirut that most people are not familiar with. Rather than tackle political issues that have plagued Lebanon, she presents a comedy that deals with five Lebanese women in Beirut who gather at a beauty salon and deal with issues related to love, sexuality, tradition, disappointment, and everyday ups and downs. The film premiered at the Directors' Fortnight at the Cannes Film Festival in 2007, which was a commercial success in the summer of that same year. It sold worldwide and collected important prizes at many festivals around the world, garnering Labaki much acclaim both as a director and actress. It also put her on Variety's 10 Directors to Watch list at the Sundance Film Festival. 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 best foreign film at the Critics Choice Awards in Los Angeles.

In late 2013, 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 .[6] 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.[7]

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[8].

As an actress

Nadine Labaki started acting in short films during the early 2000s.[9]

As an actor, Labaki starred in Stray Bullet, directed by Georges Hachem in 2010. She appears in the Moroccan production Rock The Casbah, directed by Laila Marrakchi, alongside actors Hiam Abbas and Lubna Azabal.

Politics

Through her films, Nadine Labaki connects themes from the Arab world and the Western world. Her transnational feminism highlights ordinary women affected by complex realities deeply rooted in decades of political turmoil. Nadine Labaki was a candidate on the list of the new political movement Beirut Madinati for the capital’s May 2016 local election.[10] Beirut Madinati focuses on social justice and the good of the public utilizing a diverse group of citizens as representatives.[11]

Despite achieving about 40% of the popular vote, the movement lost against its opponent, the 'Beirutis' list' supported by Saad Hariri, in all 6 out of 12 wards, but did not gain a single seat under the election’s one-district First-past-the-post system.

Personal life

Labaki is multilingual, fluent in Arabic, French, English and Italian. In 2007, she married musician and composer Khaled Mouzanar. In 2009, Nadine Labaki gave birth to her first boy, Walid. In 2016 Nadine gave birth to a daughter.

In 2016, Labaki received an honorary degree from the American University of Beirut and was the speaker at the 150th Commencement Ceremony.

Filmography

As a director

As an actress

Other work

In 2014, Labaki was the goodwill ambassador for the bi-lingual and multimedia campaign produced by The Brave Heart Fund (BHF). Based out of the Children’s Heart Center at the American University of Beirut Medical Center, the BHF creates awareness and helps to fund operations and procedures for under privileged children with Congenital Heart Disease.[14]

References

  1. ↑ نادين لبكي مخرجة لبنانية وممثلة أوروبية
  2. ↑ Armes, Roy (2015-01-29). New Voices in Arab Cinema. Indiana University Press. p. 232. ISBN 9780253015280.
  3. ↑ Frishkopf, Michael Aaron (2010). Music and Media in the Arab World. American Univ in Cairo Press. pp. 103 and 104. ISBN 9789774162930.
  4. ↑ Armes, Roy (2015-01-29). New Voices in Arab Cinema. Indiana University Press. p. 232. ISBN 9780253015280.
  5. ↑ Frishkopf, Michael Aaron (2010). Music and Media in the Arab World. American Univ in Cairo Press. pp. 103 and 104. ISBN 9789774162930.
  6. ↑ Keslassy, Elsa (2016-05-17). "Lebanese Director Nadine Labaki Preps 'Cafarnaúm' (EXCLUSIVE)". Variety. Retrieved 2018-03-01.
  7. ↑ "Un Certain Regard Jury 2015". Cannes Film Festival. 7 May 2015. Retrieved 7 May 2015.
  8. ↑ ""'Capernaum' Director Nadine Labaki Signs With CAA"".
  9. ↑ Stafford, Roy (2014-01-10). The Global Film Book. Routledge. ISBN 9781136474583.
  10. ↑ Our Candidates. Beirut Madinati website, retrieved 27 Nov 2016.
  11. ↑ "Beirut Madinati". beirutmadinati.com. Retrieved 2018-03-02.
  12. ↑ "Festival de Cannes: Official Selection". Cannes. Retrieved 2011-04-14.
  13. ↑ "'Rio, I Love You' Omnibus Unveils Directors, Cast and First Images". The Film State. November 12, 2013.
  14. ↑ "News Details - Brave Heart". www.braveheartfund.org. Retrieved 2018-03-01.
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