Nadine Labaki’s Capernaum breaks barriers at Cannes Palme D’Or, the Golden Globes & the Oscars

Nadine Labaki's Capernaum is setting the Lebanese director at Cannes, the Golden Globes and the Oscars.

After a 15-minute standing ovation at the esteemed Cannes Palme D’Or film festival, Lebanese Director Nadine Labaki’s Capernaum has been nominated for a Golden Globe in the “Best Picture – Foreign Language” category in addition to being shortlisted for an Oscar in the “Best Foreign Language Film” category. 

Capernaum poignantly tackles the issue of refugees in the Middle East and their unaddressed daily pain and struggle. Most notably, the Lebanese director took on non-actors with no previous experience to portray the main characters, each bearing life experiences very similar to the characters they played. 

The film primarily follows the story of a 12 year old refugee boy living on the streets who decides to sue his parents for the crime of giving him life, as he also tries to stop them from marrying off his younger sister as she comes of age.