Nadine Labaki paid tribute to the star of her latest film
Nadine Labaki, the director behind critically acclaimed film Caramel, has paid an emotional tribute to the star of her latest film Capernaum.
Her latest Instagram snap features a photo of Syrian refugee Zain Al Rafeea on his last evening in Beirut before he was re-settled in Norway.
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Zain was working as a delivery boy in Lebanon when he was discovered by the director, who cast him in her latest film Capernaum. It follows the story of a 12 year-old boy, who tries to survive on the streets of Beirut by begging and stealing. He sues his parents in court for bringing him into a world of suffering.
Most of the cast are non-professional actors, some of whom are genuine street children Labaki met in Beirut during the two years she spent researching the film.
“A few weeks ago I said goodbye to Zain. Zain and all his family have been resettled in Norway. Just a few minutes before heading to the airport I watched him take a last look from this small terrace above his house, which has been his life for the past 8 years,” she typed. “A life that has been hard on him mostly because he is a refugee.”
Lebanon has selected Capharnaum as its entry for the best foreign-language film at the Oscars.
The film first premiered at Cannes International film festival and won the prestigious Jury prize.
Capernaum has been selected to represent Lebanon in the “Best Foreign Language Film” category at the 2019 Academy Awards. Last year’s Oscar entry from Lebanon, Ziad Doueiri’s The Insult, was the first ever Lebanese film to be nominated at the Academy Awards.
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Images: Instagram, Getty