Nadine Labaki

Nadine Labaki نادين لبكي
Nadine Labaki
Born	February 18, 1974 (1974-02-18) (age 37) Baabdat, Lebanon
Occupation	Director, Actress
Website
http://www.nadinelabaki.com

Nadine Labaki (Arabic; نادين لبكي ) (born February 18, 1974) is a Lebanese actress and director. She is one of the well known directors in the Arabic music video industry. Nadine is usually credited for bringing artists into the scene.

In 2007, Labaki co-wrote, directed, and starred in her feature-film debut, Caramel, which became an international sensation at film festivals and went on to achieve box office success. It showcases a Beirut that most people are not familiar with. Rather than tackle political and religious issues which have plagued Lebanon, she presents a romantic comedy that deals with five Lebanese women who live in Beirut and gather at a beauty salon and deal with issues related to love, sexuality, tradition, disappointment, and everyday ups and downs.

The film garnered Labaki much acclaim as both a director and actress, and put her on Variety's 10 Directors to Look Out for List.

Her latest movie, Where Do We Go Now?, a musical comedy-drama set in an isolated village has won the 2011 People's Choice award at the Toronto International Film Festival.^[1]

Overview

Born in Baabdat, Lebanon, on 18 February 1974 to Antoine and Antoinette Labaki, Nadine participated as a contestant on the televised talent show Studio el fan, in the early 1990s in the "directing" category. For the competition, she directed a music video, "Habeebi Ya," for an amateur singer called Carla. Carla is now a well-known presenter in Rotana music channel's program "Rotana Café."

Her first video was "Tayr El Gharam" for the Lebanese artist Pascale Machaalani. Later on, she did another two videos for Noura Rahal, but these videos did not draw much attention. Her follow-up effort with Katia Harb for the music video of the song "Ma Fina" garnered more recognition.

Labaki's real breakthrough was Nancy Ajram's video "Akhasmak Ah." The video showcased Nancy as the waitress of a traditional Egyptian coffee shop where she serves and entertains male customers. The video raised controversy, but Nadine justified her use of this character as a powerful and attractive female figure.

Nadine continued to have huge successes—with Ajram, specifically, in videos like "Ya Salam" (which portrays the life of a sad star), "Lawn Ouyounak" (a magical wedding), and "Inta Eih" (a heart-breaking drama in which she was able to show us Ajram's acting ability). The three videos gained huge popularity, and they were awarded with best-music-video honors.

Nadine also signed a Coca-Cola endorsement, where she does Coca-Cola Light commercials. So far, Nadine has done only one Coca-Cola Light TV commercial and a few promotional ads for the press.

In an interview aired on Future Television, both Nadine and Caroline stated that their passion for production and directing is derived from their uncle (their mother's brother). They described the way he used to recount his directing visuals as if he just envisioned them.

Nadine also started exploring acting, initially in the Lebanese movie Bosta. However, she did not perform the singing shown in the film.

In 2007, Nadine continued to escalate her career with her first feature film, entitled Caramel. In addition to directing the film, she acted in one of the lead roles. The film was met with much acclaim in Lebanon and around the Middle East. It also premiered at the 2007 Cannes Film Festival during the Directors' Fortnight. It continued its run at several other high-profile film festivals, including the Toronto Film Festival and AFI. Caramel grossed well over $13 million dollars, having cost $1.6 million to make. It continues to expand in different countries around the world, including the U.S.A. and the United Kingdom.

Shortly after the movie release, Labaki married Khaled Mouzanar, the music composer for Caramel.^[2]

Filmography

Music videos

2001

• "Tayr el Gharam" – Pascale Machaalani
• "Salemly Albak" – Noura Rahal

2002

• "Shoflak Hall" – Noura Rahal
• "Ma Fina" – Katia Harb

2003

• "Akhasmak Ah" – Nancy Ajram
• "Ya Salam" – Nancy Ajram
• "Habib Albi" – Carole Samaha
• "Sehr Ouyounou" – Nancy Ajram

2004

• "Al-Urdun" – Guy Manoukian
• "Tala' Fiyi" – Carole Samaha
• "Ah W Noss" – Nancy Ajram
• "Jayi el Hakika" – Star Academy
• "Lawn Ouyounak" – Nancy Ajram

2005

• "Bahebak Mot" – Yuri Mrakadi
• "B'einak" – Nawal Al Zoghbi
• "Ya Shaghelny Beek" – Nicole Saba
• "Enta Eih" – Nancy Ajram

2006

• "I'tazalt El Gharam" – Magida El Roumi
• "Yatabtab " – Nancy Ajram

2010

• "Fi Hagat" – Nancy Ajram

Feature films

2007

• Caramel or Sukkar Banat (premiered in Cannes 2007). One of the main characters, she owned a salon with two friends.

2011

• Where Do We Go Now? released and premiered in the Un Certain Regard section at the 2011 Cannes Film Festival.^[3]

Acting

• Ramad (Ashes) - a short film by Joanna Hadjithomas and Khalil Joreige,
• The Seventh Dog - a short film by Zeina Durra,
• Non métrage Libanais - a short film by Wissam Smayra,
• Bosta - a long feature by Philippe Aractingi,
• Caramel or Sukkar Banat (premiered in Cannes 2007).
• Stray Bullet (2010)
• Where Do We Go Now? (2011)
• Al Abb Wal Gharib (The Father And The Foreigner) (2011)

References

1. ^ Where Do We Go Now? wins at Toronto, 19 September 2011, BBC News
2. ^ Interview with Nadine Labaki (Spanish)
3. ^ "Festival de Cannes: Official Selection". Cannes. http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/article/58041.html. Retrieved 2011-04-14. 

External links

• Official website
• Nadine Labaki at the Internet Movie Database

Persondata
Name	Labaki, Nadine
Alternative names
Short description
Date of birth	February 18, 1974
Place of birth	Baabdat, Lebanon
Date of death
Place of death