Nadine Labaki photographed by Drew Jarrett for Vogue Arabia, October 2018.
Critically acclaimed actress-turned-filmmaker Nadine Labaki will shine on the silver screen once again in her upcoming film 1982. The Lebanese director took Arab cinema to newer heights through the grand success of her movie Capernaum, which was nominated for a BAFTA and an Academy Award.
Set in Lebanon’s mountain-side, 1982 explores the story of a young boy Wissam who falls in love with his classmate Joanna. But before he could confess his feelings, Beirut is hit by airstrikes and everything suddenly changes.
The feature is directed by first-time filmmaker Oualid Mouaness. Labaki will be seen playing the role of a distressed schoolteacher Yasmeen who is caught in the middle of the 1982 Siege of Beirut. The Lebanese film was selected to be showcased at the Toronto International Film Festival, which will take place from September 5 to September 15 in Canada.
Apart from 1982, other Middle Eastern films such as Ibrahim: A Fate to Define by Jordanian director Lina Al Abed; Certified Mail by Egyptian director Hisham Saqr; The Cave a story about a war-torn Syrian home by Feras Fayyad; and Must Be Heaven, an autobiographic tale of a Palestinian man by Elia Suleiman, have been included in the long list of Arab films nominated at this year’s Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF).
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