Theeb

THEEB – the opening film at Arab Film Days in 2015 – is LAWRENCE OF ARABIA meets a thrilling Western in the rare form of a good old-fashioned adventure film of the highest quality.

The year is 1916, in the midst of World War I. The story is set in Hijaz, a region in present-day Saudi Arabia, where the British are fighting the Ottoman Empire. Our hero is ten-year-old Theeb, the son of the leader of one of the largest Bedouin tribes. Much like in Lawrence of Arabia, a British soldier arrives at the Bedouin camp seeking their help to fight the Turks. Naturally, Theeb sneaks along and suddenly finds himself in the middle of the desert, caught in a battle against Turkish soldiers and other enemies lurking among the dunes.

Theeb premiered at the Venice Film Festival, where it won the award for Best Director, and went on to triumph at festivals around the world. Filmed in Jordan, it features only amateur actors, all of whom are among the last surviving Bedouins. Like all great adventure films, it keeps the audience on the edge of their seats with meticulously crafted tension and well-placed humor. An impressive performance by ten-year-old Jacir Eid, combined with majestic desert landscapes and an engaging story, led to Theeb receiving a theatrical release in Norway to glowing reviews.

Archive 2015

Director

Naji Abu Nowar (b. 1981) is a British-Jordanian filmmaker who has spent half his life in Jordan and half in England. Nowar was named «Arab Filmmaker of the Year» by Variety magazine in 2014. He attended Arab Film Days in 2015 with his debut film Theeb, which won the Best Director award at the Venice Film Festival in 2014 and went on to win awards at the Cairo, Beijing, and Abu Dhabi film festivals, as well as two BAFTA awards. It was also nominated for an Oscar for Best Foreign Language Film.

This film is part of