The “Fresh New Face of Lebanon”

…is filmmaker Nadine Labaki according to the Washington Post’s entertainment section. Read the interview for insights about how and why she makes her movies..

To understand why Labaki’s triumph in Toronto is a big deal, read this passage:

Festival director Piers Handling noted it was a surprise triumph for a film that was overshadowed by heavily promoted, star-studded Hollywood films. These included Clooney’s two films, The Descendants and The Ides of March.

“We have some very, very high-profile films here at the festival and ones that a lot of people are talking about and I’m sure will go on to awards,” said Handling. “But Nadine’s film obviously connected with the public in a significant way because it was a clear, clear winner.”

I resisted the temptation to write about her latest award winning work because I was waiting to see it first. But if, as she says, her objective is to tell the outside world about Lebanon, then she was largely successful.

Perhaps she should be our minister of tourism..