Nadine Labaki Latest Celebrity News & Gossip

EXCLUSIVE: Fremantle and HBO Max Nordic are getting behind the inaugural European edition of The Writers Lab (TWL), the program devoted exclusively to script development for women and non-binary writers over the age of 40.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentThe Arabic adaptation of hit Italian movie “Perfect Strangers,” which is Netflix’s first Arab original film, is sparking controversy in Egypt and across West Asia due to a gay character and taboo-breaking storylines, prompting the U.S. streaming giant to respond.Since its release, the Beirut-set “Perfect Strangers” redo has been among the top trending topics on social media in West Asia, a region also referred to as the Middle East.

Perfect Strangers (Ashab Wala A’azz), the first-ever Arabic film made by Netflix, has set off a wave of controversy across the Middle East, as critics contend that plot elements of the film, including homosexuality and infidelity, violate regional cultural values.The film has sparked anger amongst conservatives who took offence to several plot lines, although it is the character who identifies as gay who has been the target of the most outrage.The film, a remake of the 2016 Italian filmof the same name, stars Muna Zaki, Nadine Labaki, Eyad Nassar, Adel Karam and Georges Khabbaz, all of whom are major stars in the Middle East.Zaki has also been the target of a wave of online abuse as a result of appearing in the film. Zaki is shown in one scene removing her underwear, although no nudity is present in the entirety of the film.Not everyone has objected to Zaki’s appearance in the film, with one user saying, “muna zaki is killing it.

Netflix will release its first ever original film in Arabic next month, a remake of the Italian hit movie “Perfect Strangers.” “Perfect Strangers,” the 2016 film from director Paolo Genevese, has been remade 18 times across countries such as France, Spain, South Korea, Germany, Greece and more, making it the most remade film ever. Now, the Arabic version will gather up a cast of Pan-Arab talent, as led by Lebanese director and actor Nadine Labaki (“Capernaum”) and Egyptian star Mona Zaki.

Mounia Akl’s feature debut, “Costa Brava, Lebanon” comfortably occupies a space between “Beasts of the Southern Wild” from “Honeyland”: Each movie deals with environmental dilemmas, ranging from climate change to the loss of biodiversity, but in their own ways and their own approaches. “Honeyland” takes the narrative nonfiction tack, chronicling the travails of a Macedonian beekeeper; “Beasts of the Southern Wild” grieves Hurricane Katrina’s aftermath with magical realism.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentLebanese multihyphenate Nadine Labaki’s most recent directorial effort, the Oscar-nominated “Capernaum,” shed light on Beirut’s desperation before her city was blasted last year by one of the biggest non-nuclear explosions ever recorded.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentParticipant is teaming up with leading French sales agent MK2 Films and Endeavor Content to represent worldwide distribution rights on “Costa Brava, Lebanon,” the anticipated feature debut of Lebanese filmmaker Mounia Akl.“Costa Brava, Lebanon” will be headlined by Lebanese star and filmmaker Nadine Labaki (“Capernaum”), alongside Palestinian actor Saleh Bakri (“The Band’s Visit”).

Netflix is planning an English-language take on the French featureLes Invisibles with Cannes regular Nadine Labaki set to direct. The Invisibleswill take place at a day shelter where, according to the project's synopsis, "homeless people congregate for food, warmth, and connection.

Elsa Keslassy International CorrespondentAnne-Dominique Toussaint, a Belgian-born revered yet discreet film producer based in Paris, has uncovered and championed many promising filmmakers through her company Les Films des Tournelles.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentCameras are set to roll in February on the long delayed Arabic adaptation of hit Italian concept movie “Perfect Strangers” with a high-caliber ensemble cast now in place comprising star Lebanese director/actor Nadine Labaki (“Capernaum”).After being postponed due to both COVID-19 and political turmoil in Lebanon, the latest in a slew of remakes of the dramedy involving cellphones and personal secrets, is now on track for principal photography to start

Cast has been set and shoot scheduled for the Arabic-language remake of Italian box office smash hit Perfect Strangers.

Nick Vivarelli International CorrespondentLess than two months after Beirut was blasted by one of the biggest non-nuclear explosions ever recorded, director Nadine Labaki has taken to the streets of the Lebanese capital with her camera. “I don’t know where it’s going to lead, or if it will ever lead anywhere,” says Labaki, whose latest film, the Oscar-nominated “Capernaum,” shed light on Beirut’s preexisting desperation.

Marta Balaga Back at the Venice Film Festival with Andrew Garfield starrer “Mainstream,” presented in the Horizons section, Gia Coppola took part in the “Life Through a Different Lens: Contactless Connections” talk on Friday – following in the (virtual) footsteps of Demi Moore and Nadine Labaki. During the chat, hosted by the festival and Mastercard, she looked back on her first visit with feature debut “Palo Alto” in 2013.

Marta Balaga Joining in from Lebanon on Thursday for the second helping of “Life Through a Different Lens: Contactless Connections,” virtual talks organized by the Venice Film Festival and Mastercard, Nadine Labaki – director of the Oscar-nominated “Capernaum” – wasn’t afraid to speak up about the situation in her country.“Exactly a month ago, we had the biggest non-nuclear explosion in history.

Films by Oscar-nominated Lebanese directors Nadine Labaki and Ziad Doueiri are to be screened in the Middle East to raise money for the Red Cross following the devastating explosion in Beirut on Aug. 4.

Andreas Wiseman International EditorMiddle East distributor Front Row Filmed Entertainment and the Kuwait National Cinema Company are partnering with Gulf arthouse venue Cinema Akil for the Beirut Disaster Relief Screenings.Ziad Doueiri’s West Beirut and Nadine Labaki’s Where Do We Go Now? will screen today at Cinema Akil with repeat screenings this coming weekend, Friday 14 August and Saturday 15 August.