Theeb
Nominated for the 2016 Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. In 1916, while war rages in the Ottoman Empire, Hussein raises his younger brother Theeb ("Wolf") in a traditional Bedouin community that is isolated by the vast, unforgiving desert. The brothers’ quiet existence is suddenly interrupted when a British Army officer and his guide ask Hussein to escort them to a water well located along the old pilgrimage route to Mecca. So as not to dishonor his recently deceased father, Hussein agrees to lead them on the long and treacherous journey. The young, mischievous Theeb secretly chases after his brother, but the group soon find themselves trapped amidst threatening terrain riddled with Ottoman mercenaries, Arab revolutionaries, and outcast Bedouin raiders. Naji Abu Nowar’s powerful and assured directorial debut, set in the land of Lawrence of Arabia, is a wondrous "Bedouin Western" about a boy who, in order to survive, must become a man and live up to the name his father gave him.
"Filmed in various Jordanian locales, including Wadi Rum (where David Lean shot Lawrence of Arabia), Theeb is a visually spectacular production that might take place in an unfamiliar setting but touches on universal themes. A fascinating and moving film, this is highly recommended." - Video Librarian
Cast
- Jacir Eid
- Hassan Mutlag
- Hussein Salameh
- Marji Audeh
- Jack Fox
DVD Features
Commentary Track with director Naji Abu Nowar\n\nBonus short: Waves '98, directed by Ely Dagher
Sound: Stereo 2.0 and 5.1 Surround Sound
Discs: 1
Blu-ray Features
Commentary Track with director Naji Abu Nowa
Bonus short: Waves '98, directed by Ely Dagher
Sound: Stereo 2.0 and 5.1 Surround Sound
Discs: 1
- "A classic adventure film of the best kind, and one that's rarely seen these days!"
- "THEEB is a jewel! Hail to the power of cinema."
- "Theeb deals with is nothing less grand than survival; survival on an individual level for the protagonist but also the survival of a culture and a way of life."
- "CRITIC'S PICK. The wide-open spaces of Jordan, where “Theeb” was filmed, are as awe-inspiring in their breadth and aridity as the vistas in a spaghetti western. "
Awards & Recognition
Venice Film Festival
Best Director
Venice Film Festival
Toronto Int'l Film Festival
London Film Festival
Abu Dhabi Film Festival
Brisbane Film Festival
Singapore Int'l Film Festival
Palm Springs Int'l Film Festival
Belgrade Film Festival
Miami Int'l Film Festival
New Directors/New Films
Jameson Dublin Int'l Film Festival
Hong Kong Int'l Film Festival
Santa Barbara Int'l Film Festival
Portland Int'l Film Festival
Victoria Film Festival
Boulder Int'l Film Festival
SXSW Film Festival
Cleveland Int'l Film Festival
Minneapolis-St. Paul Int'l Film Festival
Wisconsin Int'l Film Festival
San Francisco Int'l Film Festival
Seattle Int'l Film Festival
Berkshire Int'l Film Festival
Maine Int'l Film Festival
Vermont Int'l Film Festival
Hawaii Int'l Film Festival
Three Cities Film Festival