Nadine Labaki

Labaki obtained a degree in audiovisual studies at Saint Joseph University in Beirut, directing her graduation film, 11 Rue Pasteur, in 1997, which won the Best Short Film Award at the Biennale of Arab Cinema at the Arab World Institute in Paris. In 1998, she attended a workshop in acting at the Cours Florent in Paris. She went on to direct advertisements and music videos for renowned Middle Eastern singers, for which she won several awards.

In 2005, Labaki took part in the Cannes Film Festival Residence in order to write Caramel, her first feature film. In 2006, she went on to direct and play one of the lead roles in Caramel, which showcases a Beirut that most people are not familiar with. Rather than tackle political issues which have plagued Lebanon, she presents a 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.

In 2010, Labaki directed and starred in her second feature film, Where Do We Go Now?, which tackles with humor a delicate subject about a village in which church and mosque stand side by side, and in which women try to keep their blowhard men from starting a religious war. The film also premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in the "Un Certain Regard" category in 2011. It was an international success and won the Cadillac people’s choice award at the Toronto International Film Festival. It also collected many other awards in festivals around the world, like Cannes Film Festival, San Sebastián International Film Festival, Stockholm Film Festival. The film was also nominated for best foreign film at the Critics Choice Awards in Los Angeles.