Bedouin film Theeb won the British Academy Film Award (BAFTA) for Outstanding Debut for British Writer Director or Producer, making it the first arab film to win at the British awards. Directed by Jordaninan Naji Abu Nowar and produced by British Rupert Lloyd, the film is also nominated in the category of Best Film not in the English Language, and is among the Oscar nomineesfor Best Foreign Language Film. Theeb tells the story of a young boy who accompanies his brother, an English soldier and his guide to a well near the newly established train tracks for his mission. The storyline involving continuous travels on camels through the desert allows for cinematography by Wolfgang Thaler to pay a tribute to the beauty of the Jordanian landscape. Theeb has screened across many major festival and won several awards. At Venice Film Festival Theeb brought Abo Nawar the New Horizons Award for Best Director and the Abu Dhabi Film Festival it won Best Film from the Arab World, FIPRESCI Prize for Best Narrative Feature. Adding to its many awards the film also won the Main Award - The Belgrade Victor - and the Award for Best Script at the 43rd Belgrade International Film Festival (FEST). Theeb is nominated for best foreign language film Oscar. The film was screened in Egypt during the Cairo International Film Festival in November 2014, as part of the Prospects of Arab Cinema Programme. It won Jury Prize for Best Cinematography and Artistic Direction. For more arts and culture news and updates, follow Ahram Online Arts and Culture on Twitter at@AhramOnlineArtsand on Facebook atAhram Online: Arts & Culture http://english.ahram.org.eg/News/187602.aspx
