Capernaum (film)

Capernaum
Theatrical release poster
Arabicكفرناحوم‎
Directed byNadine Labaki
Screenplay by
  • Nadine Labaki
  • Jihad Hojaily
  • Michelle Keserwany
Story by
  • Georges Khabbaz
  • Nadine Labaki
  • Michelle Keserwany
  • Jihad Hojaily
  • Khaled Mouzanar
Produced by
  • Khaled Mouzanar
  • Michel Merkt
Starring
  • Zain Al Rafeea
  • Yordanos Shiferaw
  • Boluwatife Bankole
  • Kawthar Al Haddad
  • Fadi Kamel Youssef
  • Nour el Husseini
  • Alaa Chouchnieh
  • Cedra Izam
  • Nadine Labaki
  • Joseph Jimbazian
  • Farah Hasno
  • Boluwatife Treasure Bankole
CinematographyChristopher Aoun
Edited by
Music byKhaled Mouzanar
Production
company
Mooz Films
Distributed bySony Pictures Classics[1]
Release dates
  • 17 May 2018 (2018-05-17) (Cannes)
  • 20 September 2018 (2018-09-20) (Lebanon)
Running time
126 minutes[2]
CountryLebanon
LanguageLevantine Arabic
Budget$4 million
Box office$68.6 million[3]

Capernaum (Arabic: كفرناحوم‎, romanized: Cafarnaüm) is a 2018 Lebanese drama film directed by Nadine Labaki and produced by Khaled Mouzanar. The screenplay was written by Labaki, Jihad Hojaily and Michelle Keserwany from a story by Labaki, Hojaily, Keserwany, Georges Khabbaz and Khaled Mouzanar. The film stars Syrian refugee child actor Zain Al Rafeea as Zain El Hajj, a 12-year-old living in the slums of Beirut. Capernaum is told in flashback format, focusing on Zain's life, including his encounter with an Ethiopian immigrant Rahil and her infant son Yonas, and leading up to his attempt to sue his parents for child neglect.

The film debuted at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, where it was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or,[4][5] and won the Jury Prize.[6][7] Capernaum received a 15-minute standing ovation following its premiere at Cannes on 17 May 2018.[8] Sony Pictures Classics, which had previously distributed Labaki's Where Do We Go Now?, bought North American and Latin American distribution rights for the film, while Wild Bunch retained the international rights.[9] It received a wider release on 20 September 2018.

Capernaum received critical acclaim, with particular praise given to Labaki's direction, Al Rafeea's performance and the film's "documentary-like realism".[10] Writing for The New York Times, Manohla Dargis and A. O. Scott named it as one of the greatest films of 2018.[11] It was nominated for the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film at the 91st Academy Awards,[12] among several other accolades.

Capernaum is both the highest-grossing Arabic and Middle Eastern film of all time, after becoming a sleeper hit at the international box office with over $68 million worldwide, against a production budget of $4 million. Its largest international market is China, where it became a surprise blockbuster with over $54 million.

  1. ^ Keslassy, Elsa (10 May 2018). "Sony Pictures Classics Nabs Nadine Labaki's Palme d'Or Contender 'Capernaum'". Variety. Retrieved 17 May 2018.
  2. ^ "Capernaum (2018)". British Board of Film Classification. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
  3. ^ Cite error: The named reference NUM was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  4. ^ "The 2018 Official Selection". Cannes. 12 April 2018. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
  5. ^ "Cannes Lineup Includes New Films From Spike Lee, Jean-Luc Godard". Variety. 12 April 2018. Retrieved 12 April 2018.
  6. ^ Steve, Pond (19 May 2018). "'Shoplifters' Wins Palme d'Or at 2018 Cannes Film Festival". SF Gate. Retrieved 19 May 2018.
  7. ^ Debruge, Peter (19 May 2018). "2018 Cannes Film Festival Award Winners Announced". Variety. Retrieved 20 May 2018.
  8. ^ Sharf, Zack (17 May 2018). "Nadine Labaki's 'Capernaum' Earns Massive Cannes Standing Ovation and Instant Palme d'Or Winner Predictions".
  9. ^ Keslassy, Elsa (10 May 2018). "Sony Pictures Classics Nabs Nadine Labaki's Palme d'Or Contender 'Capernaum'".
  10. ^ "Capernaum (Capharnaüm) (2018)". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved 9 January 2019.
  11. ^ Dargis, Manohla; Scott, A. O. (5 December 2018). "Best Movies of 2018". The New York Times. Retrieved 27 February 2019.
  12. ^ "Oscars 2019: The nominees in full". BBC News. 22 January 2019. Retrieved 22 January 2019.