Capernaum – 7PM

“A wonderfully complex and rich coming of age story that doesn’t sugar coat the reality of life for those on the fringes of society.” – Rosalyn Try-Hane, Liquid Marmalade

“It’s a deeply assured piece of direction, and though it only plays a few emotional notes, they are ones that won’t soon leave your memory.” – Emily Yoshida, New York Magazine/Vulture

“Given its stark visuals, its authentic acting by non professionals, and its humanism, Capernaum has become the obvious entry by Lebanon to our Academy Awards.” – Harvey S. Karten, Big Apple Reviews

Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the Cannes Film Festival, Nadine Labaki’s Capernaum (“Chaos”) tells the story of Zain (Zain al Rafeea), a Lebanese boy who sues his parents for the “crime” of giving him life. The film follows the gutsy streetwise child as he flees his negligent parents, survives through his wits on the streets, takes care of Ethiopian refugee Rahil (Yordanos Shiferaw) and her baby son, Yonas (Boluwatife Treasure Bankole), being jailed for a crime, and finally, seeks justice in a courtroom. This film was made with a cast of non-professionals playing characters whose lives closely parallel their own. Following her script, Labaki placed her performers in scenes and asked them to react spontaneously with their own words and gestures. When the non-actors’ instincts diverged from the written script, Labaki adapted the screenplay to follow them. While steeped in the quiet routines of ordinary people, with an expansive palette: without warning it can ignite with emotional intensity, surprise with unexpected tenderness, and inspire with flashes of poetic imagery. Although it is set in the depths of a society’s systematic inhumanity, Capernaum is ultimately a hopeful film that stirs the heart as deeply as it cries out for action.

AWARDS: 21 Wins, 23 Nominations

Nominated, Best Foreign Language Film of the Year, Academy Awards, USA, 2019
Nominated, Best Motion Picture – Foreign Language, Golden Globes, USA, 2019
Winner, Jury Prize, Prix de la citoyenneté, and Prize of the Ecumenical Jury, Cannes Film Festival, 2018
Nominated – Palme d’Or, Cannes Film Festival, 2018
Nominated, Best Feature, Adelaide Film Festival, 2018
Winner, Achievement in Directing, Asia Pacific Screen Awards, 2018
Nominated, Best International Independent Film, British Independent Film Awards, 2018
Winner, Audience Award – US/International Narrative Feature, Calgary International Film Festival, 2018