Synopsis & Film Details
Filmworks presents the dramatic fable “Theeb,” Jordan’s submission for Best Foreign Language Film at the 2016 Academy Awards. The debut feature from Jordanian British filmmaker Naji Abu Nowar, who was named Variety’s Arab Filmmaker of the Year in 2014, plays as a rousing epic of one boy’s adventure to live up to the name bestowed on him by his father. It’s 1916, and as World War I begins to change the Ottoman Empire, young Theeb (“Wolf”) embarks on a journey into adulthood after the death of his father. Theeb’s older brother Hussein raises him traditionally among the Bedouins, but life is interrupted by a British Army officer asking for Hussein’s guidance across the dangerous Arabian desert. Theeb secretly follows them, but the three soon find themselves caught amidst the massive international conflicts raging in their region. Theeb quickly learns what it means to be a true “wolf” and help his pack survive. In Arabic, with English Subtitles.
Director: Naji Abu Nowar
Jordan / UK / United Arab Emirates / Qatar • 100 minutes • Not Rated
Distributor: Film Movement
Filmworks thanks Jewel FM 99.3, The Fresno Bee, Vida en el Valle, and Stella Artois for their ongoing support.