[CANCELLED] ArabAmCC – Film Series: Caramel
March 18, 2020
3:15 PM - 5:15 PM
Location
Arab American Cultural Center, 111 Stevenson Hall, 701 S. Morgan St.
Address
Chicago, IL 60607
Cost
Free
Calendar
Download iCal FileNadi Al-Cinema (Film Series): Caramel by Nadine Labaki
part of the Women, Gender, and Sexuality in the Middle East and North Africa and Diasporas Educational Initiative
About the Film:
The story focuses on the lives of five Lebanese women dealing with issues such as forbidden love, binding traditions, repressed sexuality, the struggle to accept the natural process of age, and duty versus desire. Labaki’s film is unique for not showcasing a war-ravaged Beirut but rather a warm and inviting locale where people deal with universal issues. The title Caramel refers to an epilation method that consists of heating sugar, water and lemon juice. Labaki also symbolically implies the "idea of sweet and salt, sweet and sour" and showcases that everyday relations can sometimes be sticky but ultimately the sisterhood shared between the central female characters prevails.
About the Filmmaker: Lebanese director, screenwriter, and actor Nadine Labaki is known for tearing down stereotypes and touching on fundamental issues that have become taboo in a way that has made her one of the most admired filmmakers of her generation in the Arab world. In 1997, Nadine obtained a degree in audiovisual arts at Beirut’s St. Joseph University where she consistently earned top prizes for her class projects. It was her final student project in college, however, that got her noticed abroad. In 1998 she attended a workshop in acting at the Cours Florent in Paris and moved on to direct adverts and many music videos for renowned Middle Eastern singers, for which she won several awards. Caramel was her first feature length film which she wrote, acted in, and directed. She later made Where do we Go from Here which addresses aspects of the Lebanese civil war, and most recently she made Capernaum in 2018 which premiered in Cannes and won the jury prize and was nominated to the Oscars for best foreign film.
Popcorn will be provided
Space is accessible by wheelchair. For additional needs to questions, please contact us at arabamcc@uic.edu or call at 312-413-3253
Date posted
Mar 5, 2020
Date updated
Mar 13, 2020