Labaki is the first female Arab director to be nominated for an Oscar in the category for Best Foreign Language Film for 'Capernaum' (2018).
Lebanese filmmaker Nadine Labaki has been announced as a jury member for the 48th edition of the Toronto International Film Festival, which is scheduled to take place from September 7-17.
Labaki will be joined by American filmmaker Barry Jenkins, who will serve as chair, and Canadian actor Anthony Shim.
Anita Lee, Chief Programming Officer, TIFF, said: “I am delighted to announce that we have an international dream jury with acclaimed filmmakers Barry Jenkins, Nadine Labaki, and Anthony Shim as jury members for the Platform programme at TIFF. Together, they represent the bold and independent spirit of the Platform Prize.”
Platform is TIFF’s competitive programme that champions bold directorial visions. The films selected for this year’s programme hail from 12 countries across three continents, all of which will be making their World Premiere at TIFF.
The movies in the 2023 programme are eligible for the Platform Prize, an award of $20,000 Canadian dollars ($14,900) selected by the in-person international jury.
After graduating in audiovisual studies from the University of Beirut, she directed adverts and music videos that frequently won awards. In 2004, she embarked on a Festival de Cannes Cinéfondation Residency to write and develop Caramel, her first feature film, shot two years later and showcased at the Directors’ Fortnight in 2007.
Later in 2018, her drama film Capernaum secured the Jury Prize at Cannes Film Festival and received an Academy Award nomination for Best Foreign Language Film.