Nadine Labaki & Capernaum nab a German movie award

BEIRUT: It’s been quite a journey that Lebanese director Nadine Labaki and her trusted team have been on since the release of her latest film CAPERNAUM last year.

It began with a very successful Lebanese box office run, then the film received award after award from the most prestigious European and Middle-Eastern film festivals, all leading towards both a Golden Globe and Oscar award nomination.

One would think the film’s journey would have ended but that is not the case.

At this year’s Munich Film Festival, the Lebanese filmmaker along with German director Michael Herbig were awarded the German Film Peace Prize, which honors artistically valuable films that focus on a humanistic and socio-political issues.

The former Lebanese minister Ziad Baroud was present and gave a speech honoring Labaki and her career.

He said, “This international award stands for peace, enlightenment, understanding between nations and the inviolability of human dignity of every individual in any society, no matter what culture or religious heritage, no matter what kind of sex, race or color of skin.”

“It takes its cue from Bernhard Wicki’s own words: Film can’t change the world or make it a better place, but it can create a climate where things can grow and rise and so maybe a change would be a hope of glaze,” he continued.

After her husband Bernhard Wicki’s death, Elisabeth Wicki-Endriss set up the Bernhard Wicki Memorial Fund in 2002. It is a nonprofit organization funded solely through donations and sponsors. Bernhard Wicki’s legacy is the core and heart of the peace award, that has been awarded since the year the fund was established.

Bernhard Wicki is widely considered one of leading German-language directors, whose influence was widely felt in the 20th century film landscape. His antiwar picture “The Bridge” (1959) was met with great acclaim around the world, receiving numerous accolades including an Oscar® nomination and a Golden Globe®.

Indeed, in its unflinching veracity, his cinematic oeuvre is disturbingly relevant to the problems that beset the world today.

He was honored by the United Nations for his efforts to promote peace and understanding between nations.

Awardees, and film festival organizers continually work hard towards building humanitarian bridges in the spirit of tolerance and democracy.

The ceremony of the international film award for peace took place at the Cuvilliés Theatre, Munich, one of the most magnificent Rococo theatres in the world.

The Prime Minister of Bavaria, the Bernhard Wicki Memorial Fund and the Umbrella Organization of the German Film Industry were also, all present in the gala.